News & Stories
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Jane Austen Fest E-News 10-8-2024
My dear Jane Austen Sisters, Can you imagine that 250 years after your death 1000’s of women around the world would want to celebrate your birthday? Well that’s exactly what we are going to do this February 7, 8 and 9, 2025, here in Mount Dora at the Jane Austen Fest....
Scholarship Recipient 2024
Congratulations Shelby Delaney! Congratulations to Shelby Delaney, our 2024 scholarship winner! She is a delightful young woman and plans to go to Valencia College to study English and she is taking a on-line class in screen writing. (photo left to right - Nancy...
Happy Holidays from the Jane Austen Fest
Dear Jane Austen Fans, A few more days until Christmas! Lots of hustle and bustle yet. The tree is beautiful with its lights and ornaments. Lots of excitement and screams and thank you’s floating across the room yet to come. Mount Dora is lit up. The lighting of the...
Sense & Sensibility in Mount Dora
Ladies in Empire waist day dresses and bonnets fill the sidewalks, their chatter surrounding you. You might think you've stepped into the pages of a Regency novel. Or perhaps found yourself an extra in the latest season of Bridgerton. The annual Mount Dora Jane Austen...
Seeking Jane at the Austen Fest in Mount Dora, Florida
The Jane Austen Fest is Featured in Travel Through History. "Every enthusiast has a must visit destination. For art lovers, it’s Miami’s Art Basel. Bikers have the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on their wish list. For fans of Jane Austen, it’s the town of Mount Dora,...
Jane Austen Fest E-News 10-12-2023
October 12, 2023 My dear Jane Austen Friends, We have been busy, boy have we been busy!… working on the best Jane Austen Festyet. This is our 4th Fest and we are thrilled to invite you to our Fest again on February 9, 10, & 11, 2024, celebrating Jane Austen and...
Scholarship Recipient 2023
Congratulations Elysse Harpster! Elysse has been a Fest volunteer the last two years. She graduated from Eustis high school in the spring and is enrolled at Lake-Sumter. Her future plans incudes becoming a writer. Congratulation Elysse and much luck in your studies!...
The Gift of Jane Austen
My dear Jane Austen Friends, We named this year’s Fest, the Gift of Jane Austen. And so, we offer YOU this gift - Our third annual Jane Austen Fest here in Mount Dora. It’s a wonderful gift - this 18th century woman who wrote only 6 novels in her lifetime but has...
Dear Jane Austen Friends
As I think of the many gifts that Jane Austen has given me, which of course, includes her novels and characters, the whole culture of the Regency Era, the Regency attire, etc., but the one that stands out most to me is the friendships that I have developed around...
Changes are Comin’
My Dear Janeite Friends, When we chose the quote above to build our 2nd Fest around, little did I know at the time it was chosen specifically for me. As most of you know, my boyfriend had a major heart attack early Wednesday morning before the Fest. On Thursday, the...
First Jane Austen Fest Scholarship Recipient
Congratulations! The first Jane Austen Fest Scholarship was awarded to Jessey Dickens who is a student at Lake Sumpter State College. She was selected by the Scholarship Committee from several submissions for the scholarship. From left to right…Scholarship...