I know, I know..........this is waaaay off topic for most boards, but this being a "what not" one.......
I went to the Jane Austen Festival just outside of Louisville, KY this weekend. I was working with a friend who was selling hats there, so I didn't get to go to all the activities (and there were a lot of them). There were probably 20 vendors of various "period related" items situated on the grounds of this old, antebellum style property. There is a museum from the early days of the property (no, not about Jane Austen) and the period house. They hold the Jane Austen festival every year, but as this was her 200th anniversary, it was really sort of special. They had a large tent with actors doing various excerpts from her plays, a silent auction, church on Sunday, and some other activities. Inside the museum building, they held formal teas of the type associated with the early 19th century. Everyone participating as a vendor or a volunteer were costumed appropriately and it was quite a colorful, HOT, fun affai
I just wanted to let you know about it in case you might want to check it out. I had never heard of it until my friend asked me to come and help her. Locust Grove is a National Historic Landmark on 55 acres of the original 694 acre farm established by William and Lucy Clark Croghan in 1790. William Croghan was the brother-in-law and surveying partner of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville and Revolutionary War hero. George Rogers Clark spent the last nine years of his life at Locust Grove, from 1809 until his death in 1818.
Locust Grove also hosted three U.S. Presidents, Monroe, Jackson and Taylor, and was a stopping point for famed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark upon their return from their expedition to the Pacific. In addition, Locust Grove was home to numerous enslaved African-Americans who lived and worked on the farm and contributed to its success. Locust Grove tells the story of George Rogers Clark, early Kentucky history, western expansion and everyday life on the frontier.