Quincy house offers free family event

QUINCY - Columbia Basin residents have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, 1900s style.

The Quincy historical house, the 1904 Reiman-Simmons House, offers a free old-fashioned Christmas free family event Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"We like to offer some free things during the year so the community can enjoy the historic home," said house Events Coordinator Harriet Weber.

The Reimans began building the house when they came to Quincy in March 1904, and moved in to the house in December of that year.

"Their first Christmas celebration was especially wonderful, but they really loved Christmas," Weber said. "It was a very sacred time of the year for them, but they also loved to have friends and family in, and it was just a fun time of the year. We thought we would carry on that tradition. We like to think they would be happy we are celebrating Christmas again in the home."

The house began renewing the tradition two years ago, but was not open last year due to renovations, Weber said.

The event includes carols on the pump organ, a brief program including readings of "The Night Before Christmas" and the gospels of Matthew or Luke, refreshments and a real lighting of the tree.

"That's in the German tradition, where you would place candles on the tree," Weber explained. "In that tradition, then, you would actually light the candles. Of course we have children young and old close their eyes, we light the candles, we turn out the lights and then you open your eyes and you behold this wonderful, lit tree. It's really quite spectacular if you've never seen it."

The pump organ is in the house on a regular basis, and is out of a German immigrant church built in 1907. Weber stressed this is not the church on the historic house site, but another church.

"It still works," she said. "It has a great sound, so we love to sing Christmas carols on the old pump organ."

No reservations are needed to attend.

"I think we don't do enough simple family traditions for celebrating the holidays," Weber said. "This is just a very simple thing that allows families to get together and remember the real meaning of the holidays."

The house can only accommodate a certain number of people due to fire codes, Weber noted, but if there's an overflow crowd, the program could begin again at 8 p.m.

For more information, call 509-787-4685.