Getting local with Jane: Who Needs Movies? Edition
With the hiatus of The Complete Jane Austen for three weeks while PBS raises money, we’ve found lots of local Jane Austen events to fill the time, so let’s get to it!
Camden (New Jersey) County College will host a series of lectures on Jane Austen to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. The first lecture will be tomorrow, Thursday, February 28, at 7 p.m. in Madison Hall 210 on the Blackwood Campus. Elizabeth Steele, Regional Coordinator of JASNA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Region, will speak on “Becoming Janeites.” The full lecture schedule is at the link (they all are on Thursday nights at the same time through April 3), and we’ll post a reminder each week.
PEERS (Period Events & Entertainments Re-Creation Society) will hold a Pride and Prejudice Ball on March 1, 2008, at the Masonic Lodge of San Mateo, California. From Emily, one of the organizers, who sent us a note about the event:
Everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area is welcome to attend. Come and see Mr. Bingley falling in love with Jane, and Mr. Darcy trying not to fall in love with Lizzy, and the rest of the Bennet clan being very silly as only they know how to do. Costumes are admired, not required, and be prepared to be asked to dance!
According to the website, they also support attending in character! What fun!
A Jane Austen Study Group meets every Wednesday at the Temecula, California Library. Thanks to Alert Baja Janeite for the link.
Also in California, the Imperial Public Library will have a series of free screenings of Jane Austen adaptations on every Saturday afternoon in March. The series starts off with Pride and Prejudice and ends with Becoming Jane.
Baja Janeite also let us know that Historic Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, will sponsor a Jane Austen-themed children’s party for your kids!
Join the party and learn the manners, etiquette, and dance of the early 1800’s during this one-hour program. Participants will make a fashionable hat to wear for the party (and take home), learn a period dance, and receive a lesson on manners from a costumed guide.
* Cost: $125 for up to 12 participants, $5/each additional person
Not a bad deal for a kids’ party these days.
The Washington Post has a 33-mile “In Step With Jane Austen: A Novel Tour” for the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area. Some of the stops are a bit of a stretch, but check it out if you’re in the area.
And finally, the University of the Pacific will offer a weekend course on “Jane Austen and the Silver Screen” on April 5 and 6. The course is open to students and the public and costs $150.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Some of these California events are close to my home, but not close to where I go to school
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 am
I berated my sister until she agreed to attend the P&P Ball in San Mateo on Saturday. (I live on the wrong coast, and told her if she didn’t go and represent me I would never speak to her again.) She reported back that it was a wonderful evening and she’d look forward to attending any others in the future! Though men were a little scarce and several ladies found themselves without partners, Sis danced 4 rounds (V-E-R-Y long numbers, apparently) and enjoyed herself immensely. Approx. 100 people in attendance, and most were in full Regency attire - quite lovely to behold.
Later this year, the same group is holding a Gone With the Wind Ball (must be in southern San Mateo). Might be good time to schedule a visit with Sis.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 am
“The Washington Post has a 33-mile “In Step With Jane Austen: A Novel Tour” for the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area. Some of the stops are a bit of a stretch …”
Good grief! Much more than a bit of a stretch. The entry for Persuasion:
“Austen’s characters go to Bath, an English retreat known for its salubrious natural hot springs. Visit the Sugar House Day Spa & Salon for some modern-day healing.”
Some junior ad sales rep R-E-A-L-L-Y stretched the JA connections to sell space. I have to admit that it got my attention because the distance is doable from my Burg, but I was expecting to at least see something like Molland’s Confectionary or Pemberley Lawn & Garden Supply. Silly me.