JAF e-News 12-29-2024

Happy New Year!

What a year this will be! 250 years ago our gal, Jane, was born December 16th, 1775. What an incredible woman! We’ll be celebrating all year.

Certainly starting with the Fest – February 7, 8 & 9, 2025. This is the best Fest yet – our Fifth Annual Fest. We are having Afternoon Tea with a very special menu this year, a Jane Austen Regency Dinner, with recipes from Jane Austen’s Table by Robert Tuesley Anderson, a Scavenger Hunt with our Downtown merchants participating and a Hot Air Balloon Ride!

A couple of new workshops this year: Jane Austen Bracelet and Creating a Parasol are sure to be winners. Our Turban and Bonnet making workshops will be held by Dr. Ann Wass this year. (Kathryn Page fell and broke her hip this fall) Although Jane, that we know of, did not keep a journal, her letters sometimes read as one. Maybe you have thought about keeping a journal but don’t know exactly how to do it. The Journaling workshop will help you ‘get on with it’.

We also want to mention the Regency Players, made up of Disney actors, who have been studying 18th Century plays and will present a, play that Jane, a big theatre fan, most likely saw when visiting her brother in London. This will take place after the dinner on Saturday night.

Our venders are ready and waiting for the event to begin. If you want to become a vendor, please email our vender chair, Jan Farmer, at… [email protected]. Please be sure to include what you want to sell and your email.

But let us tell you about our big Birthday Event! New Port Richey, on the west coast of Florida, north of Tampa/St. Pete, has a historic boutique hotel that has only 40 rooms – The Hacienda. They have a beautiful large lobby that will hold a wonderful Tea/Dance on Saturday afternoon. We have reserved the hotel for us for the weekend of December 13th and 14th, 2025. New Port Richey has a renowned Christmas Parade the evening of December 13th to add to the festivities. Come and celebrate with us. Further details will be announced but if you are interested, please send your check in the amount of $100.00 deposit to hold your place to; Jane Austen Fest, P.O. Box 823, Mount Dora, FL 32757, make check to Jane Austen Fest.

Register for the Fest soon as the Bracelet Workshop has already sold out, the first Book Discussion is already full, and there are only a couple more places in the 1st Afternoon Tea.

Also our Tee shirt this year will have the above “revision” of our logo with the birthday candle. They are $18.00 on the website but will be $25.00 at the Fest.

You are cordially invited to join us this February at our Fifth Annual Fest!

Janefully,
Margaret Jane Andersen