Spring is upon us, and many groups are planning Jane Austen festivals and special events. Check these out–one may be in your own neighborhood. And do remember to send in your local Jane Austen events!

The Jane Austen Festival starts today, April 17, in Canberra, and goes through Sunday, April 20. The event includes reticule and bonnet workshops, dance workshops, brunch and dinners, and a ball!

The Franklin Regional High School Thespians in Murrysville, PA (near Pittsburgh) will stage the Jon Jory adaptation of Pride and Prejudice this weekend, April 18 through 20. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

The Germantown Country Dancers will hold two “Dance With Jane Austen” English country dancing workshops in Merion Station, PA (near Philadelphia). The workshops are designed for those new to English country dancing and new dancers get free admission. The first workshop will be held on April 30, and the second on May 21.

JASNA’s Rochester and Syracuse regions are hosting a Super-Regional Conference called “iJane: Jane Austen in the Information Age” on May 3, 2008, at the Gleason Auditorium in the Central Library in downtown Rochester, NY. Tickets are $27 for JASNA members and $32 for non-members, which includes lunch. Full disclosure: the Editrix will have her share in the conversation. 😉 The following day, the second annual Jane Austen Ball will be held at the Cutler Union Ballroom of the Memorial Art Gallery on University Avenue in Rochester. Dance workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and the ball itself from 2 to 5:30 p.m.

JASNA’s Southern Arizona Region will host their fourth annual Jane Austen Day on June 7 with the theme of Emma.

(And don’t forget to check out JASNA’s Regional Events page for information about upcoming regional events.)

Claire Harman will speak about her forthcoming book, Jane’s Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World, for Friends of Farnham Museum, South Farnham School, Farnham, Surrey. Tickets are £8.

As always, if you attend any of these events, we would love a report. Thanks to Alert Janeite Vicki for several of these links.