WINCHESTER — The new year brings a major milestone for the United States of America, marking 250 years since the American Revolution.
To recognize the history that unfolded here in Winchester and Frederick County, a schedule of events through the VA250 initiative will take place throughout January.
“It’s important for people to recognize that it was everybody’s involvement. Men, women, African Americans, Caucasians,” said Becky Ebert, who chairs the local VA250 committee. “It just took everybody to help make things come together. And things that are happening on a local level are as important as the national level.”
The first scheduled event this month is Jan. 10 at 11 a.m., when Virginia-based historian Gabe Neville will give a presentation on Revolutionary War-era figure Peter Muhlenberg at Hollingsworth Mill at 1360 S. Pleasant Valley Road.
The official local VA250 kickoff will be the following day, Jan. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. at James Charles Winery at 4063 Middle Road.
The event will feature food and a cash bar, and then around 2:30 p.m., Ebert said, some officials will give remarks.
“And then we’re going to have a trivia game with prizes,” Ebert said.
The questions will largely focus on the Revolutionary War.
Jan. 15 at 7:15 p.m. will kick off a monthly America250 book club at Handley Library. From January to April, guests will be invited to read and discuss a different historical book.
This month’s read is “Young Washington” by Peter Stark.
“We’ll explore books that illuminate challenges, triumphs and visions of the early American experience,” said Ebert.
Meetings will take place on the third Thursday of each participating month.
Also on Jan. 15, local historian Tim Youmans will give a a talk at Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury and a Revolutionary War tour of Winchester, featuring significant sites throughout town. That event starts at 7:30 p.m.
On Jan. 17 at 1 p.m., a commemoration of the Battle of Cowpens, hosted by the second chapter of The Sons of the American Revolution, will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Berryville.
All events are free to attend and open to the public.
Ebert said she hopes attendees gain “some knowledge and appreciation of their local community, and an opportunity to meet new people and come up with good ideas” about “what we can do to keep our community growing and positive.”
For more information about this month’s local VA250 events, visit https://visitwinchesterva.com/virginia-american-revolution-250-commemoration/.
