Civil War Weekend starts Friday
Union County area residents will have an opportunity to see history come to life during a multitude of events which are planned this weekend.
A Civil War Weekend is planned Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-9, in Anna.
The weekend is sponsored by the Shawnee Hills Art Council at the Anna Arts Center and the PAST organization of Union County.
Most of the Civil War Weekend events will take place at the Anna Arts Center. The arts center is located at 125 W. Davie St. in Anna.
Some of the many highlights include a bus tour featuring "Lincoln's Footsteps and Friends in Anna-Jonesboro," exhibits which include guns and quilts, reenactors and an encampment, storytelling and Civil War era food and music.
<strong>Lincoln Legacy Event</strong>
PAST is planning to host its annual Lincoln Legacy Civil War banquet and fundraiser.
The event will be at the Main Street Center in Anna.
Guest speaker at the banquet is scheduled to be Dr. Frank Nickell.
Nickell is the former history department chairperson and also the founder and director of the Center for Regional History, both at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
<strong>Saturday Events at Arts Center</strong>
Saturday, Feb. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Anna Arts Center at 125 W. Davie St. in Anna is scheduled to be open and will be hosting exhibits, programs by guest speakers and music. Activities for children are planned. Admission is free.
The schedule of speakers on Saturday follows:
9:30 a.m.: “Grant and His Lieutenants: The War in the West.” Dr. Frank Nickell.
10:45 a.m.: “The Political Climate of Southern Illinois in 1864,” Darrell Dexter, Southern Illinois historian, author, teacher.
11:45 a.m.: “Civil War Origins of the Stars and Stripes Newspaper,” James Mayo, director, Stars and Stripes Museum, Bloomfield, Mo.
1 p.m.: “Photographers of the Civil War,” Charles Swedlund, retired professor of photography, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
2 p.m. “Civil War Steamboats Built on the Lower Ohio River,” Robert Swenson, historical preservation consultant and recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Illinois State Historical Society.
3 p.m.: “Southern Illinois Volunteers in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864,” Glen Bishop, Civil War historian and lecturer.
4 p.m.: “Caught in the Sweep of History: Egypt’s Soldiers in the Second Year of the Civil War,” Mike Jones, director, General John A. Logan Museum, Murphysboro, Ill.
7 p.m.: the play "Patches and Squares," starring Pete Housman, will be presented. The play is about the home front during the Civil War. Tickets are $10. For ticket information, call 618-697-0009 or 904-625-1109, email vabchlee@gmail.com.
<strong>"Lincoln's Footsteps" Bus Tour</strong>
Sunday, Feb. 9, starting at 1 p.m., a one-hour bus tour featuring “Lincoln’s Footsteps and Friends in Anna-Jonesboro," is scheduled to begin.
The tour will highlight the history and stories of Abraham Lincoln's visit to Union County. A visit to a Civil War-era PAST home also is planned.
Reservations are required for the bus tour. Tickets are $10. To make a reservation, or for more information, call 618-833-8745 by Feb. 3.
<strong>Exhibit Awards</strong>
At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Anna Arts Center, the Anna-Jonesboro Rotary Club plans to present exhibit contest awards to winners.
Guests will have another opportunity to visit exhibit contest entries.
The Civil War exhibit contest is sponsored by the Anna-Jonesboro Rotary Club.
Entries are to be delivered to the Anna Arts Center at 125 W. Davie St. in Anna between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, today.
The play "Patches and Squares" is scheduled to be presented at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
For specific rules and additional information, contact Lee, phone 618-833-6525, cell 904-625-1109 or email vabchlee@gmail.com.
For more information about the Civil War Weekend contact coordinator Lee Hackney, phone 618-833-6525, cell 904-625-1109 or email vabchlee@gmail.com.