Family brings colonial traditions to life with fresh apple cider press

The smell of apple pies and sound of fresh apple cider being pressed filled Alamance Battleground Saturday. The “Drink like a Colonial” event brought many to the historic site, but the sweetest treat was the family behind the scenes.

The Pace Family has been volunteering for Alamance Battleground for a year and a half, ever since another family aged out. The mother, Suzanne Pace, said, “the family that used to volunteer here for many years just told them they couldn’t do it anymore, and they were hoping to have another family that could grow up here through the years.”

Her family of six children, with ages ranging from three years old to twelve, only decided to volunteer after a history lesson. “The children were just really interested in all things American History,” said Suzanne. “They even created a little colony out in our woods at home. They called it liberty land.”

The family has made turning back time into a cherished tradition. The oldest pace child, Leonard, at just twelve-years-old handles the antique cider press.

“I was helping the lady who usually does the demonstration, helping her with the grinding and stuff,” Leonard explained. “I mainly just learned all of this from listening to her. She at least, in those 2 days, she repeated it at least 50 times. The five more days for colonial living week, I did it by myself.”

Leonard takes his demonstration seriously, and says his favorite part is the people. “I usually want them to get a hands-on demonstration’, he said. “[They can] come over and grind the apples and drink the juice and throw the apples in.”

Just like in Colonial times, the various jobs are all done by the family, which Suzanne appreciates. “When families come out here on a day like this, they can see family represented as close to what it used to be,” she said. “We work together to do what’s needed to be done and that’s what they did in colonial times too.”

For the pace family, living in the past isn’t such a bad thing.

You can see the Pace family and more demonstrations at Alamance Battleground’s next event, which is Colonial Living week. It’s a five-day event from October 10-14. The demonstrations will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day. Reservations are required to attend the event and donations are suggested.