The Keswick Village Business Association (KVBA) hosted their inaugural “Glenside en Blanc” on Sunday, September 7.

According to KVBA member Colleen McDermott, tickets were sold out in no time and the location was revealed only to registered guests. If you weren’t able to attend this year, organizers say a second edition is already in the making.

“Tickets sold out so quickly for this. We started posting about in July, and a couple weeks later, they were all gone,” McDermott said, adding that the idea for a Glenside version of “en Blanc” started with a suggestion by Tim McLoone, owner/supervisor of May Funeral Home.

“Linda Gerhard and I were interested in helping, and then we decided it could be a KVBA thing. We brought it to Chris Drummond of Penny’s Flowers and Lyn Church of Minuteman Press, and after a couple meetings, we had a pretty good handle on things,” she said.

Glenside en Blanc is a “Bring Your Own Everything” event, from tables to chairs to food. McDermott’s Keswick Collective provided a photo booth “with a line twenty deep,” she said.

With live music and a catchphrase “Who says you can’t wear white after Labor Day?”, the evening offered prizes for best tablescape and best dressed. Local restaurants, including TreVi, Rooster’s, and Renato’s, offered takeout specials.

“It’s kind of a competition. People really went all out. The outfits were incredible and there was a huge variety of food. I saw charcuterie boards, sushi, you name it, I saw it. There were even a couple milestone birthdays, so those tables were decorated with birthday themes,” she said. “It was so much fun. We were able to pull it off in a short period of time. We’re definitely looking to expand next year.”

(More photos and videos courtesy of Keswick Collective can be found here)

Next year’s location may change to increase capacity, McDermott said, noting that organizers are hoping for more restaurants to participate.

“We also want to improve our sound system so that you can hear the music from all angles. A dance party with a Congo line popped up. We have a whole year to plan. We’ll have a dedicated dance party next time around,” she said.

Glenside en Blanc 2026 will be around the same time of year and still be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, so McDermott encourages people to check KVBA’s Facebook page to make sure you don’t miss out. Stay tuned.

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Photos: Lyn Church, Tim McLoone, KVBA