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'Downton Abbey' Fans, Friday's Ponte Vedra Library Event Is For You

Fans of the British PBS TV series Downton Abbey are eagerly awaiting the feature film, set to come out in September.

But local fans don’t have to wait until then to relive a bit of the show’s elegance. The public library in Ponte Vedra Beach is inviting them in for a flower-arranging lesson inspired by the popular show this Friday.

Assistant Branch Manager Anne Crawford said the twice-annual Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants events are always a big draw.

“Somebody always surprises me in the audience. We’ve had people come from as far as Lake City and Gainesville and Ocala just to see this show,” said Crawford. 

She said the event is so entertaining that it often attracts 60 or 70 guests.  

"I mean, there is an educational component to it because you are learning flower arranging, but it's like learning flower arranging from Lucy and Ethel, minus the hijinks hopefully," Crawford said. 

Participants will get to sit at a table set like one upstairs in Downton Abbey and watch instructors Cathy Snyder and Marilyn Smith create several arrangements inspired by the show. The two St. Augustine Garden Club members will be raffling off all arrangements they demonstrate, as well as others they're creating ahead of time, as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Library.

For the first time in about a decade, the twice-annual flower-arranging class is on a Friday instead of a Saturday.

No advance registration is required, and it’s free to attend. 

The Downton Abbey-themed flower class is this Friday, March 29, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at thePonte Vedra Branch Library at 101 Library Blvd.

The Downton Abbey movie is set for theatrical release on Sept. 20. Here's a teaser trailer: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYnITeDfaA4

And for those who can't wait for the feature film to get their fix, WJCT members can stream Downton Abbey epsisodes on demand anytime by logging into Passport.

Additional information about Passport.

Contact Jessica Palombo at 904-358-6315, jpalombo@wjct.org or on Twitter at @JessicaPubRadio.

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP