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George Washington Returns to New Utrecht
BROOKLYN -- George Washington is coming back to Bensonhurst, and Friends of Historic New Utrecht invites you to meet him, in the person of experienced Washington portrayer Michael Grillo, at the New Utrecht Reformed Church Parish House, 18th Ave. and 84th St., on Tuesday, February 7, at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
Mr. Grillo, Education Director at the Van Cortlandt House Museum in the Bronx, has been appearing as Washington for over 12 years at historic sites and events. Mr. Grillo’s presentation about Washington’s career will include discussion of the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776, his victorious return to New York in November 1783, his inauguration there in 1789 and his visit to New Utrecht in April 1790, when he had lunch at Barre’s tavern (84th St. and 16th Ave.) and greeted students from the village school nearby.
President Washington will have an escort of two Revolutionary War reenactors in the uniform of a New York State militia unit, one of whom will give a brief talk about the life and equipment of a Revolutionary War soldier. A Q&A session with the audience and a reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation. Parking is available in the church lot.
On the morning of Feb.7, Mr. Grillo will portray President Washington before an audience of more than 600 students, 4th and 5th graders from public, parochial and private schools, also sponsored by the Friends of New Utrecht, in the New Utrecht High School auditorium. In the afternoon he is scheduled to perform and respond to questions from intermediate and high school students.
The New Utrecht Parish House stands next to the church's sanctuary building which dates from 1828 and is undergoing extensive repair and restoration. On the front lawn a Liberty Pole, the last of its kind in the nation, is the sixth to be erected at the site. The first was in 1783 by New Utrecht patriots celebrating the end of the Revolutionary War and the withdrawal of the British troops.The church, which today is a member of the mainline Protestant Reformed Church in America (RCA), was founded in 1677.
For more information about the free Washington program or the history of New Utrecht, please contact the Friends of Historic New Utrecht at 1-718-256-7173 and at historicnewutrecht.org.
The Friends organization’s program of historical and cultural events is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.
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George Washington Returns to New Utrecht (Brooklyn)posted Jan 13, 2012 10:27 AM by Jon Norton |