In case the present is becoming a bit overwhelming, a pair of upcoming events at Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls will give visitors the opportunity to escape into the past.
The historic site, located at 10017 Colvin Run Road, will first offer an adults-only experience with a Spirited Grains Whiskey Tasting this Saturday (May 17) starting at 4 p.m.
“Sample a curated selection of fine whiskeys in the rustic beauty of Colvin Run Mill,” the Fairfax County Park Authority says in its description of the event. “Learn about traditional distilling techniques and the historic ties between grain and spirit.”
Attendees will get to see the site’s water-powered, 19th-century gristmill at work cracking wheat and learn about the process of distilling fermented grains into alcoholic spirits. Snacks will be provided in addition to samples of spirits from Middleburg’s Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery.
Registration is underway for the whiskey tasting experience, which costs $45 and is open to people 21 and older. Participants can sign up for tasting times in two-hour slots at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Then, for anyone looking to catch a movie under the stars, Colvin Run Mill will serve as a period-appropriate backdrop for an outdoor screening of the Keira Knightley-starring 2005 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” on May 31.
Though admission to the historic site is free, the movie screening has a $10 entry fee, and audience members will need to bring their own blanket or lawn chair if they don’t want to sit on the grass. The mill will have refreshments and concessions available for purchase.
The Historic Miller’s House will be open for self-guided tours from 7:30 p.m. until the film starts at sunset, which will be around 8:30 p.m.
As part of a worldwide 20th-anniversary re-release that has so far earned it another $7.1 million, director Joe Wright’s take on the classic Jane Austen novel is also still playing at a couple of local theaters, including Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax City and Angelika Film Center at the Mosaic District in Merrifield.
