September 24, 2013

Going Back in Time

I've been blogging about an event that happened in early August of this year. Now I am going to go back in time, to late July, when the other highlight of my summer happened. And this event really did take us back in time, so I mean that expression in more ways than one.

My dear friend Kimberly flew down from Minnesota to visit me, and the visit was timed so we could both attend the.... TA DA......

Jane Austen Festival! Which I had never before attended, though I had often seen it advertised in the AAA newspaper I get every month.

The festival was held at Locust Grove, a historic home and grounds just a few miles east of Louisville, close to the Ohio River. I should add, it was a very, very hot day. So if you see some flushed faces, you'll understand why.

This is Kimberly as we were approaching Locust Grove.


Once we got there, what sights met our eyes! It was nearly unbelievable. It was particularly fun for me to watch Kim's reactions because she had never seen anything like it before, while I had already attended two balls. However, neither one of us had ever before encountered one of these:


Yes, a lady being carried around in a chair sedan. (That day, I didn't even know what it was called yet.) The gentleman in front was calling out, "Make way! Make way for her ladyship!" Notice that he is all dressed up, while the poor guy in the back is barefoot. This was the "manservant."

I wanted a ride in that thing, too, but it cost money. I wanted to see everything there was to see before I decided what to spend money on. So we started examining the vendors' tents. And oh my, what gorgeous things there were to see. Regency-era games, handkerchiefs, shawls, stationery, feather pens, bonnets both blank and decorated, dresses, teas, teapots, hatpins, jewelry....


Wow, that color looks great on her.


This was the parasol vendor.


Hand-marbled Turkish paper, anyone? We got to watch him doing it.

Some other scenes that I will just let you enjoy without comment:






This was the tea vendor's tent. The family selling the tea had come from Minnesota!


This festival was in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, 
as you may be able to tell:


After an hour or so of browsing, we became hungry and headed for the Earl of Sandwich Shop to buy some lunch. Here Kim is ordering hers. The shop was located in one of the small outbuildings outside the house. That's tobacco hanging down from the ceiling. We got curried chicken sandwiches on croissants, and some grapes and strawberries, and the cutest little teapot shaped and decorated cookies. Oh yes, and lemonade. Everything was SO delicious!


There was a big tent with tables and chairs we could sit in and eat outside. It was shady and cooler in there. While we were eating, this bagpiper was walking around playing tunes. We asked him to play something over the phone for Kim's mom, who was celebrating her birthday that day. The nice gentleman played Danny Boy for her and even refused a tip. 


Then he came into the tent and sat down and talked to us while we ate. Before long, the sedan chair carrier joined us. We had a most interesting conversation about tartans and costumes.


Soon after lunch, it was time for our afternoon tea. We were seated at this table with two lovely ladies whom we didn't know, but whose company we enjoyed very much... young moms from the area.


The tea food was to die for. In the photo below, the lower tray is tiny sandwiches, the middle tray has scones which had cranberries and blueberries inside, and a sweet topping; the top tray holds mini quiches. We had a choice of teas, too, named after different characters in the Jane Austen books, like Marianne's Mad Medley and others. Different ladies came around, dressed in period costume, to refill our cups. For dessert we had several choices, one of them being lavender cake. It was a lovely light purple with some lavender buds right in it. I wish I had taken a picture of it.... I should add that there was a small group of men in the kitchen continuously washing up the teacups and silverware, because the tea was held in several successive sessions throughout the day. I thought that was very nice of them.


Right after the tea was a promenade outside. This was so everybody could admire everybody else's costumes. Here was a sweet family getting ready:



Apparently, or so I heard, the Guinness Book of World Records lists a gathering of 409 people dressed in Regency costume as the world record. (Only 409?) Anyway, we all got little tags with numbers to pin onto our costumes, because we were being counted—we were trying to break that world record. I think we got close to 300 people, because I was Number 243 and there were a good many behind me. 
Alas, we didn't break the record. But the promenade was a feast for the eyes.











This lady (below) had been going around (well, mostly being carried around) impersonating Lady Catherine de Bourgh all day. We had stopped to watch her and listen to her a few times, and she was hilarious in her pomposity. As Kim and I were passing in front of Her Ladyship, she folded up her fan, pointed it at us and demanded to know our names. I curtsied and replied that we had been told we could not speak to Her Ladyship unless we had been introduced by one of her manservants, so we had not ventured to greet her. Lady Catherine waved her fan and said that she herself could demand to be introduced to anyone she chose. I then asked courteously whether Her Ladyship were attending the ball that evening, to which she replied with a sniff that she had not been invited. 
I pretended to be horrified at the bad manners of whoever had so insulted Her Ladyship. ;) But you know, who wants such an insufferable woman at a ball, or anywhere else, for that matter?


Finally, before, we left, I got to sit in the sedan chair and have my picture taken, even though I didn't actually get carried around in it. By that time, that was OK with me, because it was so hot out and even hotter inside that little box!


The day was far from over. We drove back to our hotel to dress for the Grand Ball, 
which will be covered in my next post!


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