George on George, Part Deux

Small turn-out for first new American History Nights

GEORGE — Perhaps the small blanket of snow on the ground kept most residents at home.

Six people joined coordinator Debby Kooy and her husband Elliot, also the mayor of the town, in the George Community Hall for the first in the new series of American History Nights Tuesday evening.

"We sure wish we had more of a crowd, but other than that we've got good quality," Debby Kooy said with a chuckle. "It's always fun. We always learn something, no matter what video we watch. It's always interesting to hear other people's memories of history class or whatever. Everybody has a little bit of knowledge, so it's fun to share it."

Tuesday evening's movie was a Washington biography entitled "The Man Who Would Not Be King," shown with popcorn following a small potluck.

American History Nights began last year, after Kooy and fellow George resident Linda Ferguson took a trip to Washington, D.C., and organized American History Nights as a way to learn or relearn facts about American history.

Tom Gregg, who lives five miles south of Quincy, said he attended last year, and had the opportunity to get away for the night, he said, adding that he is friends of the Kooys.

"It raises your awareness of the history we have and allows us to have a community here of people that enjoy the same thing as far as our heritage is concerned," Gregg said. "You can relax and enjoy it, there's no strings attached, come and go as you will, but the main thing is, to become aware of how our history affects how we look at our world today. Otherwise, we don't respect the land in which we live like we ought to, I don't believe."

George resident Rusty Figgins, also the winemaker at Cave B Estates Winery, was also in attendance. At the next night, scheduled for Dec. 20, Figgins will lead a discussion on George Washington's life at Mount Vernon, sharing the recently released "George Washington's Workshop." The video addresses Washington's farming innovations and his mixed farm enterprises, including fishing, tobacco growing, wheat threshing, flour milling and whiskey distilling, "in which I have a particular interest," Figgins said with a grin.

"It's a little known fact that he had a very profitable distillery," Figgins previewed. Washington grew the grain for his rye whiskey, and by 1799, the first president was making the most money he ever had, on his distillery, about $7,500. "That was quite a lot then."

Figgins will also include some information about the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, which is funding an archaeological dig at Mount Vernon, where the foundation of Washington's distillery was discovered. He said that the distillery will be made operational with primitive copper stills in place, and guests will be able to sample contemporary versions of Washington's mash bill, or the proportion of grains in the mash that will ferment and eventually be distilled and aged in barrels.

Figgins said he asked to lead a discussion as a George resident and "armchair historian."

Rita Luce said she and husband Rod began attending last spring and enjoyed the events.

"It's just a really nice time, educational, low-key, fun," Rita said. "(Other people) should come and give it a shot, try it out."

"I just think it's neat how the town of George is encouraging studying American history, and working on an apropos topic," Rod said, adding with emphasis, "George, Wash."

Quincy resident Scott Ramsey said he was in attendance because he was a history teacher for nine years, he likes to learn a little more about the country's founding fathers and the sort of things people don't often hear about as much today and his daughter, Kaitlin, 8, wanted to come. The Ramseys were also in attendance last year.

Kaitlin said she wanted to attend, "because I'm just a history freak. (I like hearing) about what I missed … I would tell my friends to come because I really enjoy it. I just enjoy seeing what happened in the past."