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he fragrance of fresh dill filled the air while Jane Sterner rocked a dark-handled knife over the feathery green sprays during the 2017 Jane Austen Festival in Louisville. It wasn’t lunch; it was a “repast” featuring cold chicken salad, jam tartlets and a “Bennet Sisters’ Tea Tart,” with each ingredient representing a character in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice: chocolate for Lydia, vanilla for Kitty, lavender for Jane, Earl Gray tea for Lizzy and cream for Mary. Just under 40 miles away in Eminence, Ed Frederick traversed his domain at the Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival, spreading good cheer and a jovial disregard for historical correctness. Frederick is a founder and co-owner of the fair, providing unabashed escapism for the motley bands of jesters, fire breathers, traditional musicians, vendors and thousands of guests who visit each summer for a creative taste of the Scottish Highlands, circa 1306. They may be worlds apart in style and time periods, but the Jane Austen Festival and the Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival are two poles of the same impulse—imaginative engagement with history. From jousting knights and fire-eating jesters to tea and twilight shopping, this summer’s festivals provide an imagining of times past.
The Jane Austen Festival
Top, Jane Sterner prepares an afternoon repast of cold chicken salad, jam tartlets and her special Bennet Sisters’ Tea Tart; middle, honoring the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, the festival organized a Regency funeral procession in 2017; above, guests re-enact a naval encampment, featuring re-enactment group HMS Acasta.
Coming up on July 13-15 at historic Locust Grove, an 18th century Georgian mansion, the annual Jane Austen Festival celebrates Regency history, fashion, literature and all things Austen. Sponsored by the Jane Austen Society of North America, Greater Louisville Region, it is the largest festival celebrating the author in North America. It brings thousands of attendees each year from across the United States and around the world. Stepping onto the festival grounds is like entering another dimension. Guests in period clothing stroll across the manicured lawn. Two of several white tents—the Shoppes of Meryton and the Regency Emporium—sell period-authentic clothing, fabrics, teas, spices and more. Others display historical items from the period. In 2017, a “cabinet of curiosities,” curated by Julie Rockhold, featured items that would have been collected and displayed by wealthy Georgian families, including fantastical items such as “The Skull of Julius Caesar as a Child.” Celebrating 10 years, the 2018 festival will also observe the 200th anniversary of Persuasion, Austen’s last fully completed novel. A wide range of planned events includes lectures on literary and historical topics, four-course teas, a Regency fashion show, twilight shopping, a grand ball and much more. Guest speakers for this year’s fest are author Patrick Stokes, a direct descendant of Austen’s brother, Charles Austen; author Ann Buermann Wass; Jeremy Strong, professor of literature and film at the University of West London; and Zack Pinsent of Pinsent Tailoring in Brighton, England. “I’ve been to many places, many re-enactments, and there’s nothing like the Jane Austen Festival—everyone being united over a love for one author,” said Catherine Meisburg, who attended the 2017 festival. “Her books are so fun, and they’re so relatable.” More than 200 years after Austen’s death, what is it about the British novelist that continues to fascinate? “For me, she was so ahead of her time as a woman and as an author,” said Heather Huffton, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who attended last year’s festival. “She really spoke to the heart of many people, and I think that’s why her work endures. She was really good at understanding characters and how people really are, and you read her books today, and there are probably people in them that you know.” Jane Austen Festival fans attend for many reasons. Some love the costumes. Others, like Meisburg, follow sewing blogs and can’t wait to meet their favorite bloggers in person. Some J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 8 • K E N T U C K Y M O N T H LY
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