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Roper stresses fun with entertaining By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photos by Sue Watson
Welcoming author to Holly Springs
From left are Betty Burch, Patty Roper, Irene Strickland, Margie Green and Judy Smith. |
Tips
on easy, yet elegant entertaining, were abundantly supplied with lots
of laughs Thursday at Jennie’s Flowers and Gifts in Holly Springs. Patty
Roper brought smiles and fun as a way of showing ladies how to prepare
great foods and to decorate for parties the easy way. Roper signed copies of her latest book, “Easy Parties and Wedding Celebrations.” She
related how she began writing her popular column “Easy Does It” which
has been featured in Mississippi Magazine for the last 16 years. Her
husband, Richard, is the publisher. He praised
Holly Springs for its quiet beauty and history and said even he can
prepare the easy recipes his wife has collected over the years. Roper
said she was a school teacher nine years before she was gradually, and
steadily, hooked into working and writing for Mississippi Magazine with
her husband 28 years ago, first while he was owner, and then in his
capacity as publisher. Early on she answered
the telephone, assisted with layout and then was worked into editing
when one of the magazine’s editors took time off to have a baby. The
magazine was always in need of extra stories, so Patty began writing
school stories, easy party stories and tea party stories. When
someone suggested she write a “Garden by the Yard” story, Roper learned
afterward that a reader claimed ownership of the idea and headline. “Ideas, I came to find out, are not our own and they are remembered,” Roper said. Then she launched into a string of simple decorating and food ideas - all the how-to’s that any hostess wants to know. “We love those easy articles and easy food,” her readers told her. “So, every issue I would tell people how to do something easy,” she said. Eventually her editor asked for an easy cookbook, which became her first. Roper
said she wants her new book, which includes tips for party planning and
etiquette, to be “that spark of inspiration that gives any hostess the
confidence she needs to step out and try something new.” Her
previous books include “Easy Hospitality” (1996), “Easy Does It
Entertaining,”(2004) and “At the Table with Patty Roper” (2006), and
“Easy Recipes.”  | Good advice
Patty Roper makes a point from one of her books. |
Her presentation at Jennie’s included elements from all her books. “Anytime we get people together, it’s a party and it’s about entertaining people and doing a little extra,” Roper said. Tips for entertaining include: •
not waiting until your house is ready and everything is perfect to have
a party. People will notice what is on the table, not the things that a
hostess did not get around to doing, she said. Small, unusual details
are what guests remember long after the party is over. • pick a color scheme and then use those colors and different shaped food items to match the color scheme. •
learn from your children. Roper, who has a flair for fashion, learns
from her daughter. She said her daughter came home from a party and
told her the hostess servied brownies. “And they cut them in squares!”
her daughter said. • organize ahead of time. “Think
from the time of the invitation to when they walk in the front door,”
she said. “Do something neat and different each time. Add something
special to what you have. Use every space in the house. Put desserts
and coffee in the back room.” • enjoy preparations. “Love
the process of getting it ready,” Roper said. “Let your friends come
over and help make things. They need to come over and learn.” •
mix old china with new, and expensive with inexpensive dishes. Roper
uses her mother’s best china with plates bought from WalMart and Target
or bought from a thrift store. • make interesting
place mats. Roper displayed a place mat made with a circle of men’s
ties from a thrift store and an iron-on center. •
include neat party favors on functional items like napkin rings. She
makes unusual napkins from bow-tied fabrics and adds a vintage pin as a
party favor. Hostess Irene Strickland was elated with the community response and turn-out for Patty Roper and her book-signing event. “I
think it is really important for us in Holly Springs to recognize our
assets,” Strickland said. “We have fabulous opportunities here and we
all need to expand on them. “We’ve got to showcase our town and, at the same time, enjoy the privilege of hosting a person of this caliber.” Dreaming big and expecting a positive answer was the thing that got the Ropers to Holly Springs. “Betty
(Burch) just picked up the phone and called,” Strickland said.
“Everyone in town was invited and Patty stayed from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
She demonstrated ideas she had included in her cookbook as well as in
her articles in Mississippi Magazine. “She’s such
an excellent example of Southern grace and charm, in my opinion - so
knowledgeable about entertaining. She has a flair for using thrifty
ideas. We are so fortunate to have so many amenities here that we need
to spotlight - mainly the small town atmosphere, friendship and
camaraderie. “We want people to come and feel welcome and to expect to get what they want.” Betty Burch, co-owner of Jennie’s Flowers and Gifts, Betty Burch, agreed. It was her daring that got the Ropers to agree to visit the city. “It
was just a fun afternoon for all the ladies,” she said, “something not
available in Holly Springs every day. When it came out in Mississippi
Magazine that the book was about to be offered, I said, ‘we could get
her to come to Holly Springs.’ ” The Ropers were
busy last August and put off answering. Soon it was Christmas, then
January and Roper didn’t call, so Burch said she called her again. “I said, the ladies in Holly Springs would just love it if you would come. She said, ‘Let me think about it.’ ” Soon both the publisher and his editor had agreed to come to Holly Springs. Burch said she believes Holly Springs can attract guests like the Ropers. She wished the book signing could have been offered at a time when more women could have attended. “She was really good - entertaining,” Burch said. “After you talked to her a while, you felt like you had always known her.” |
