Quincy historical house holding annual winefest, lawn party

Fund-raiser to aid creation of Quincy-based chapter books

QUINCY — Quincy's Reiman-Simmons House is already historical, but this weekend, it's going to be vintage, too.

The house holds its third annual Lawn Party and Winefest Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at its location at 415 F St. S.W.

Cost is $35 per person, and includes a commemorative wine glass, responsible wine tastings and food, said Harriet Weber, volunteer public events coordinator for the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum. Three restaurants and a number of varieties offer food and wine, plus live jazz music is offered as entertainment.

"The event is a wonderful cultural get-together in the spirit of old-fashioned lawn parties where people came together and had time to visit and socialize," Weber said.

The event is a fund-raiser for the historical house's educational programs, Weber noted.

One of the projects which would benefit is creation of a series of four chapter books for school children.

"The illustrator who's going to work with us on these books has produced four full-color concept book covers, those will be on display so people can see what our plans are," Weber said.

Each book tells the story of a different child at some point during Quincy's history, including a Wanapum boy in the late 1800s, a German-Russian immigrant girl in 1904, a town girl in Quincy in the 1930s as residents were hoping for the introduction of water and a Hispanic boy in the 1950s.

"We're really excited about that project," Weber said. "Of course, that requires quite a bit of money."

The funds would also go toward a new version of an activity box for teachers to use before their students enter the house on field trips for hands-on experiences.

"They're learning about the heritage of their community and about how we're all immigrants here," Weber said.

The society would also like to start instituting boxes for teachers to use in their education, Weber added, including use of Cold War memorabilia for upper junior high and high school instructors. The teachers would check out such artifacts from the society and use them for their lessons.

The winefest offers more tent space, including a separate tent for ales, misting stations and air-conditioning within the historical house, Weber said.

Kerry Siderius, recipient of the 2007 Wenatchee Apple Blossom Artist award, will be on hand selling her work. Siderius is working on a portrait of the historical house, Weber said.

She hopes more people are in attendance than at last year's event, where the turnout was disappointing, she said. It's one reason the event has moved into the summer time, Weber added, and already more tickets have been sold.

"We're hoping for 150 people," she said.

Tickets may be purchased by calling Weber at 509-787-3757 or the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce at 509-787-2140, or online at www.quincyvalley.org.