Around a dozen ladies attended a celebration of English novelist Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, hosted by the Patrick County Library on Wednesday, July 23.
The event was part of the library’s adult summer reading program and featured a traditional high tea, Regency-era lawn games, and Austen trivia.
The English tea was prepared by Lora Mahaffey of Bull Mountain Arts.
Library staff member Emme Tilley said the idea came while brainstorming fun literary-themed programs.
“We have a lot of programs at the library, but not all the time are they based on books. So we were like, it would be fun to give a little bit more of that library flavor to them. We thought a Jane Austen party could be super fun,” she said.
While Austen’s birthday is in December, Tilley said that time of year isn’t ideal for outdoor events due to the cold weather.
Planning for the event began in January.
“So it feels really good to see it all finally pay off,” she said.
Guests enjoyed lawn bowling, croquet, and the Game of Graces, where players used wands to throw and catch hoops.
“Then we got the traditional English garden kind of vibe — we got our bunkin and our table. We also have some pass-outs for some other yard games you can play,” she said, adding that attendees got to take home the teacups they used during the event.
Looking ahead, Assistant Branch Manager Sam Edmonson said the library plans to host at least one literary tea party each year.
“It’ll be different times in the year with different themes. This is like our test to see how it goes,” she said.
