Saluting George

Presidential namesake town celebrates holiday, community

GEORGE — Patriots young and old turned out to celebrate a day of presidents in a town named for the very first.

George held its annual Presidents Day celebration Monday in a packed George Community Hall, complete with a large cake bearing the frosting likeness of George Washington.

Smiles abounded downstairs as participants partook in a potato bar, while on the upper level of the hall children marched around the cake walk, stepping upon pieces of paper bearing numbers that gradually grew more and more ripped, worn and hard to read as the day wore on and little feet traipsed across.

Sponsored by the George-Burkettes and George Community Hall, the event included live entertainment from bluegrass youth band Camaraderie and a video of "George Washington's Workshop."

"We've been coming down here for several years now," said Richard Starr of Ephrata, noting he used to play in a little band in the area, and wanted to see the Old Time Fiddlers. "So I came down and just enjoyed the fellowship and bumping shoulders with the folks. It's a good thing going."

Glenn Knowle and wife Linda have a summer place in Sunland Estates, and attend all George functions when they're in town, Glenn said.

"They're fun, they're small and they're creative," he said. "Just fun to be around, see the community spirit."

Attending the Presidents Day festivities are a tradition for Jessica Williams.

"We come every year, we live in Quincy and my grandma likes to come," she said. "We do the cake walk and we eat the cake and because it's Presidents Day and we want to celebrate that holiday."

George resident Karla Krautscheid is also carrying on the family tradition, by bringing along her niece Anika and nephew J.J. Karla said she has been coming since she was 5 years old.

"If you want to meet people in George, this is the place to come," she said, pointing at the Washington cake. "You'll never see a bigger cake than that, and there's a lot of just fun activities, good wholesome fun for families."

It was the first time in attendance for Quincy resident Summer Sahli, who brought her two children.

"It's a great way to get to know your community, be with friends and celebrate the meaning of Presidents Day," Sahli said. "It's a fabulous event. My kids have had a good time, I've enjoyed it and we've been able to talk to lots of nice people."

Quincy High School students Lesli Evens, Melissa Krautscheid, Kaloni Young and Rose Gonzales all manned the cake walk at the request of Krautscheid's mother. They reported that they had some "really great little kids" participating.

"I was debating on whether or not to come, and I decided that after it happened, I was really glad that I came," Young said.

"It's good for everybody," Gonzales said of the Presidents Day celebration.

"They have little kid's things, they have music and you get cake," Melissa Krautscheid echoed with a laugh. "Who can say no to cake?"

Money raised by the Burkettes from bake sales, 25-cent flags on sale at the event and donations goes back into the community, Burkette member Nancy Olson said, citing donations they have in turn made to Quincy High School's drug- and alcohol-free Senior Nights and managing George's July 4 celebration.

"We like to celebrate Presidents Day because we are the only town named after a president," she said. "And so we like to celebrate — I think it's educational for the children. It's an opportunity for the community to get together and celebrate. We have several young people buying our flags. I think pride in our nation, if we don't start with our children, where do we start?"