We thank the Mount Dora Community Trust for becoming our Naming Sponsor.

Thank You.

Join us on this decking overlooking Lake Dora to watch the sunset at the only water front view restaurant in Mount Dora. The Mount Dora Yacht Club, the oldest in-land yacht club in central Florida, was built in 1913.

In 1966 the Club burned down but was rebuilt on the same property next to the Lake.

Lake and Sumter Style Magazine of Lake County heard about the Jane Austen Fest and
have put an article on their website on Monday, December 23rd.

It’s the year of the woman or so it has been said. Jane Austen was passionate about her
work and because she was. she produced 6 novels in her short life of 41 years. During
her lifetime, women didn’t have careers. And in the Regency Era there were certain
things that were appropriate for Women.

Lawn Bowling Workshops to be held on February 8 and 9 at the Jane Austen Fest in Mount Dora.

The Jane Austen Society of North American (JASNA) is sending the President, Elizabeth Philosophos Cooper to be the keynote speaker to the Mount Dora Jane Austen Fest February 7, 8, & 9, 2020. Her talk is entitled

Jane Austen – Woman at Work.

When reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, she fell in love with Jane Austen for the first time. “I think Austen’s brilliance, humor and critical eye not only invite readers into a bygone era but continue to speak truth today. Her novels provide me with a lot of joy. I laugh out loud every time I read them. She has a gift of continually delighting”, she said. Her love for Austen has spilled over into her front yard. A few years ago she installed a Little Free Library with a Jane Austen theme. She keeps one or two Austen books available in the library for passersby to pick up in the hope of inspiring others to read and love Austen, too.

The Regency Era Clothing Police have not been invited to the Jane Austen Fest - February 7, 8, & 9, 2020!

But if you would like to come in Regency era attire, please do.  How quaint for the town of Mount Dora to be blanketed with people in Regency era clothing!  Follow this woman.

Our main speaker at the Fest in February is in England as a traveling scholar. She sent us an update and some photos!

She will speaking about her book, The Making of Jane Austen,

What a Delight! - Mad Cow's Pride and Prejudice

Along with an audience of 50 or more, several JASNA members - Orlando Chapter - attended the Mad Cow Theatre Drama Club's event Friday night.  A professor from Rollins college came and spoke about the history surrounding Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.  We then saw a rehearsal of the play and a Q & A with the director as well as the cast.  We brought some Regency Hats for a try-on by the audience and an opportunity to tell them about the Jane Austen Fest in Mount Dora coming up Feb. 7, 8, & 9, 2020.  Join us!

What’s more English than Tea and Crumpets? But maybe the question should be what are Crumpets? Crumpets are a small griddle cake made from a milk, flour and yeast batter. They are popular in the UK.

No they are not English Muffins. Although they are about the same size and in a glance look similar. However, English muffins are lighter, have much larger holes and the taste is “different” than Crumpets.

Crumpets have smaller holes and the taste is “deeper” than muffins.

But would you believe that you can get them right here in Mount Dora? The Magical Meat Boutique sells them either for consumption there or you can buy them and bring them home to eat. Put them in your toaster and push down the lever on your toaster a couple of times until the top is crisp. Smother them with butter and slather on some strawberry jam or orange marmalade.

But wait, join us for a breakfast of Tea and Crumpets on Sunday morning, February 9 at the Jane Austen Fest.

Enjoy!

Of course not.  All our volunteer waitresses at the Teas at the Donnelly House during the Jane Austen Fest next winter will have heads!

This is a real who done it....

I came home a couple of weeks ago and on my door knob was tucked this article from the New York Times about the Jane Austen celebration in Pasadena, California. OK...who tucked this article on my door nob...Who do I know that reads the New York Times and who knows that we are putting on a Jane Austen Fest in February 2020. You know who you are? Who done it?

Last Saturday, March 2nd, my good friend Susan Mulholland and I had the opportunity to attend a production of Emma at FSU (Florida Southern University) in Tampa.  Everything began to look up after we finally found Theatre II. In the lobby we met some women dressed in Regency attire and when we inquired they, of course, were from the West Coast Florida JASNA region.