pporters of U.S. Congressman Jack Kingston accepted his invitation to attend a free, ‘thank you’ barbecue Saturday at Dunham Farms in Sunbury.
Guests began arriving before the 11 a.m. start, with parking and registration assistance provided by Liberty County Sheriff’s Department deputies and numerous volunteers. In addition to barbecue and sweet tea provided by Boy Scout Troop 500, guests were treated to live entertainment. Kingston’s daughter Betsy was part of that entertainment, singing several country classics.
The event included a guest list of supporters from throughout Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, as well as a number of political opponents, whom Kingston acknowledged as his friends despite their political differences. He specifically pointed out state Rep. Al Williams, D-Midway, and Hinesville Mayor Pro Tem Charles Frasier.
While guests enjoyed their meals and the entertainment, Kingston walked among them, taking time to talk to everyone who wanted to speak to him and posed for pictures with his strongest supporters. He warned everyone he met not to shake hands with him as he was fighting a cough, which was not yet a cold.
“Congress has an approval rating of what, about 1 percent right now,” he joked. “I don’t want to give anybody a cold, but if you’re one of those high-risk behavior folks, I’ll shake your hand.”
People young and old waited in line to speak to the congressman. He listened and talked to college students about their majors and to elderly people in wheelchairs. Even guests from as far away a California stood in line to talk with Kingston and thanked him for his support for one issue or another.
“I’ve never seen our country more divided than it is right now,” Kingston said, adding both political parties need to come together for the good of the country. “If we don’t solve the problems inside our country, things are going to be dictated to us from outside our country.”

Read more in the Jan. 16 edition of the News.