Jane Austen Festival of Louisville: Registration 2011

The 4th annual Jane Austen Festival of Louisville, is being held July 9th and 10th at historic Locust Grove . For details on the event, please visit JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America)  Greater Louisville Region.  Registration begins June 1st, 2011!

I'm so excited. It is a fabulous event for Regency and Literature lovers alike. You can read more about last year's Jane Austen Festival that I attended  here, here, and here.  Please do come and join us in the fun! 



English Country Dancing Lessons

Don't you wish you danced as elegantly as the lovely lady above?  Well, now you can learn how.  I thought it would be a wonderful idea to brush up on our English Country Dancing before we attend the Grand Ball at the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville.  The Lexington Vintage Dance Society offers classes for beginners every Monday evening from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 

At:
Eastminster Presbyterian Church
1161 Liberty Road
Lexington, Kentucky

No experience is necessary.  Dress is casual.  First time lesson takers are free, and it's only $0.50 a lesson after that!  What a deal! Here's the official site offering up all of the details.

In addition to the lessons, the LVDS holds a monthly dance.  This month, the dance is Friday, Jun 17, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. (intro class starting at 7:40.)  The dance is to be held in downtown Lexington at Arts Place.  $5 per adult, $2 students, 15 and under are free.

I hope to be there June 6th and 13th, and of course, for the dance on the 17th.  I do hope you will join me.   For more information about the lessons and dances, please contact Bob at bobalonia@juno.com or 859 887-4888 or Terry at terryterry@windstream.net



William Whitley House Picnic: Follow-Up

The Blue Grass Regency Society traveled through the heart of the Bluegrass on Saturday morning to the William Whitley House.  As you can see in the above picture, the beautiful landscape was shrouded in a non-stopping rain for the majority of the morning and afternoon.  Thankfully, the estate had a picnic shelter in which we huddled comfortably.

Even more thankfully, the clouds parted toward the end of the afternoon, allowing us a glorious moment of sunshine and blue sky, in which we set out to carefully explore part of the grounds.  We were a bit damp, and our hems unfortunately were be-speckled with mud, but these trials were well worth it for the good fellowship and comfortable hospitality of the Whitley family home.

(Natalie fit in perfectly with her late 18th century finery.)

The house in itself is fascinating, full of quirky interior windows, hidden staircases, faux walls and hiding holes (to keep the 11 Whitley children safe from Indian raids).  The bravery of the family is evident in these things, but the interior furnishings show a carefully balanced juxtaposition between this courage and the family's simple, civility and elegance.

(Jenni and miss Jane spitefully ignoring the rain.)

We were a small party, but in honor of the heartiness of the Whitley family, a few of us braved the rain and enjoyed each other's company.

(Sharon taking the children -Christopher, Jane and Noah- under her wings.)

Because of the rain, our plans to play Quoits, Graces, Nine-pins, and Badminton were put off.  However, we enjoyed each other's company immensely. 

The table was set, and a feast was enjoyed.

We enjoyed a delicate salad of greens and aged balsamic vinegar.

Seasonal strawberries and an assortment of cheeses were a delight.

The piece de resistance was a traditional 18th century English pudding called White-pot.  You can read about how it was made and what it tastes like at Living With Jane.

We hope to return some day (perhaps a slightly less wet one) to this lovely bit of Kentucky history.  We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us on our next outing.

The Fair at New Boston

Have you been to the Fair at New Boston?

I have...and you can view my pictures here.  It's an event you won't want to miss.

Well, I just found out that the participants registration deadline for the Fair at New Boston (in Ohio Fair at New Boston ) is June 1st. The actual Fair isn't until Labor Day weekend in September, but if you wish to dress out as "Citizens" then you must register now. It would be wonderful if the Blue Grass Regency Society could attend as a group, but certainly it isn't required to dress out. If you would like to though, then you must register.

If I remember correctly from last year, tickets are $15 or $20 at the gate. First time (dressed out) participants pay a one time $15 fee (but aren't required to pay that in the future...unless you camp, etc. see rules.) Rules for participants are posted on the official site. Here: Participants They are quite strict about what you wear if you are participating as a reenactor. Here is the registration form in PDF: Registration Form

HOWEVER....if you have absolutely NO idea what you will be doing that weekend since it is so far in advance, please don't worry about registering. Hopefully, later on down the road, you will know if you are free or not, and you can come with the group just for the fun of it without dressing out! And FUN certainly is what I would call this event. You won't regret it. It's a family event...educational and fascinating. There are period foods, vendors, merchants, and artists of all sorts....think a feast of late 18th century, early 19th century articles such as soap, wool, fabric, clothing, accessories, metal work, home wares, furniture, and much more! It's a feast for the eyes!

I do hope you will be able to make it!

Picnic Weather Update

I'm writing to say that the BGRS is going to go ahead with Saturday's picnic as planned at the William Whitley estate.  There is a 50% chance of rain, and while that isn't the greatest of percentages, I think it's the best we will get this spring. There is a picnic shelter on the grounds which we can use if the weather turns bad.  See you Saturday, rain or shine!

BGRS Picnic: Weather or Not

This weekend, May 14th, is the Blue Grass Regency Society Picnic.  You can see the original save the date post here, to get all of the juicy details. 

However, I'm writing to say that in this area of the country, at this time of year, the weather is always a factor to consider into the equation.  The weather man is calling for a 40% chance of rain.  That statistic can, and likely will, change over night.  So, rather than make a decision now, I am waiting until Wednesday night to decide on a Plan-B.  Let us hope Plan-A will suffice!  Stay tuned!