Yours Truly diners served up a little history

Eastlake resident Paul Brummett was eager to ask Theodore Roosevelt a few questions while he sat down for dinner Monday night.

To celebrate Presidents Day, Mentor restaurant Yours Truly hosted its annual event that brings the past to the present for patrons.

The restaurant was packed and it was one of the busiest presidents event it has hosted, General Manager Joe Fracci said.

Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Roosevelt, James A. Garfield and the first ladies made their way around the tables to talk with young children and older couples, who seemed equally curious and entertained.

Brummett and his friend Julia Parker keep up on their interest in history by visiting president's houses, museums and gardens, and when Parker found out about the event Monday night, they were excited to go, she said.

The pair picked a seat near the back of the restaurant, which turned out to be "the best seat in the house" because it was near where the presidents introduced themselves to the crowd, Parker said.

Sandy Swain of Mentor spent the day with her grandchildren, Lauren, Katy and Owen Kilpeck. They visited the James A. Garfield house in Mentor during the day and saw the man himself at the restaurant.

"It's a great learning experience," Swain said. "We've been talking about presidents all day."

They may have had a chance to meet a real member of the presidential family that night as Garfield's great-, great-grandson Tim Garfield was having dinner there, too.

 

"It's just fun to be a part of; I grew up out here so this is home for me," he said. "I stop and think about it every now and then in terms of if he (James A. Garfield) lived longer my father may have met him."

The event has been at the restaurant for about five years, but the presidential living historians have been appearing for 10, Debbie Weinkamer said.

She plays Lucretia Garfield, the wife of James A. Garfield, and has been since she retired from the historical home on Mentor Avenue.

As a regular Yours Truly customer, she suggested the historian group host the event that has since become a successful staple.

Fracci said the event has expanded to the chains in other locations and that the Mayfield store hosted the presidents last week.

"There's a lot of kids who are off school today so this is a perfect dinner, evening activity for them," she said of the main event.

She also said the group works well together and this event offers an unusual treat for the members.

"Most of the time we are out in the community more on an individual basis, so for us this is great fun, too," she said.

For more information on the living historians, visit www.wemadehistory.com.