COLTON, SD (KELO)– It was the perfect weather for a favorite outdoor gathering in Colton. For the past four decades, the former mayor has been hosting a tea party for a group of special guests. 

“Hey there, how are you,” Dian Hoven greeted her guests Thursday morning.

Dian Hoven has near celebrity status with the kids of Colton.

“They all know where she lives and can spot her house,” Colton resident Mary Weinacht said.

That’s because she’s been inviting all the children in town to a special event every summer.

“All I do is put the note out around Colton and they all show up,” Hoven said.

“Word of mouth travels fast in a small town,” Colton native Brooke Amundson said. “Everybody sees it, everybody knows about it.”

With Balloons, Bubbles and biscuits, it’s a special occasion that has many kids decked out in their finest dresses and hats.

“Because we came here to have a tea party,” 7-year-old Grace Jensen said.

Over the past four decades of hosting, Dian has assembled quite the collection of tea cups.

“They’re just so cute, I don’t know how many she has, but there’s a lot,” Weinacht said.

“Would anyone like some more chocolate milk?” One of Hoven’s great-grandson’s asked her guests. 

While there’s no actual tea at the tea party, Hoven’s tiny guests get plenty of refills in their dainty cups.

“They’re like this small,” Jensen said of her tiny tea cup. 

But it’s those little details that make Dian’s tea party memorable for so many.

“I don’t think it’s changed a bit, the snacks early in the morning, always the chocolate milk, always coffee and water,” Amundson said.

Brooke Amundson is one of many Colton natives who’ve enjoyed coming to these tea parties all their lives.

“I have been coming here for as long as I can remember, I started coming here with my grandma,” Amundson said.

“There’s a lot of kids that were little when they came and now, they’re here with their children too, it goes generation to generation, so it goes a long time,” Hoven said. 

A timeless tradition that’s become even more cherished with each year the generous tea party host continues to celebrate.

“Every year I think oh, I’m 92, so I think maybe I’ll skip it this year, but I get a lot of help, everybody pitches in,” Hoven said.

A true testament of a tight-knit community and the nostalgia felt when inviting the next generation to tea.

“It’s the first time I was able to bring her and if this is the last one, I wanted to make sure to have that memory, for me, I don’t know if she’ll remember it, she’s two,” Amundson said of her daughter.

“I just enjoy doing it and the kids always have fun doing it,” Hoven said. “We all have fun.”

For the past few years, many of Hoven’s family members have helped host the tea parties each summer. This year she had four generations helping out, including her daughter, granddaughter and great grandsons who helped to serve the ‘tea’.