Upcoming Valentines programs announced

PRINCETON — For many people, the Victorian era is the epitome of romantic style, from the romance and melodrama of the fiction of Jane Austen, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, and Charles Dickens to the lace, ribbons, gloves and top hats of Victorian fashion. It was a time when sentiment ran high and gentility, especially in the relations between women and men, was of the utmost importance.

Lose yourself in the Victorian era for a few hours this Valentine’s Day week at the Princeton Public Library. On Valentine’s Day itself, Tuesday, the library’s meeting room will transform into a Victorian parlor for 19th century games, activities, and sweet and savory treats. It will be a great way to start of a date night before heading to dinner or to finish off the evening before heading home. Victorian Parlor Night begins at 6:30 p.m. and will continue to 9 p.m.

The Victorian fun doesn’t stop there. If you’ve admired the dances in film productions of Pride and Prejudice or Emma and want to know more about historical dances of the era, then you are respectfully invited to attend the Library’s Regency/English Country Dance Party at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16, in which the program director, Ron McCutchan, will teach dances that Jane Austen and Charles Dickens would have known and participated in. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and flat-soled shoes (no heels).

All programs at the Princeton Public Library are free and open to all. The library is located at 698 E. Peru St. in Princeton. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.theprincetonlibrary.org, find the library on Facebook or call 815-875-1331.