Travel back in time at Lake County's Civil War Days
President Lincoln and Harriet Tubman come back to life as the 25th annual Civil War Days returns to Lake County.
On Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, attendees can travel back in time to 1863 and immerse themselves in the middle of the Civil War. Taking place at the Lakewood Forest Preserve, 27277 Forest Preserve Road, near Wauconda, the event will feature a large-scale battle re-enactment, an 1863 Summer Fair. period crafts, games and a scavenger hunt.
"We hold this event because we want to commemorate the Civil War and commemorate the people who fought in the Civil War from Lake County," said Seleena Kuester, education manager at the Lake County Discovery Museum. "Around 2,000 men from Lake County fought in the war."
One of the hundreds of Civil War re-enactors who will participate in the event is Jeff Johnson from Libertyville, who is a member of the First Illinois Brigade. Johnson will portray a Union soldier.
Johnson said he likes re-enacting because he gets to give a voice to those who no longer have one.
"When you speak to veterans, you get to hear their story. You can understand what they went through," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, for the Civil War, we don't have veterans that we can talk to."
While Civil War Days is meant to be educational and fun, it is not meant to glorify war, Johnson said.
"The actual mission of re-enactors is not to glorify war. It's to show the horrors of it," he said. "(The Civil War) is one of America's bloodiest conflicts. We lost over 600,000 Americans, and it's something that we as a country should never experience again."
The event will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 9, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10.
Daily highlights include:
On Saturday, military camps will be open all day for attendees to explore and talk to soldiers, officers, medical staff and more about the military life in the 1860s. The 1863 Summer Fair will also be open all day and feature craftsmen, demonstrations, entertainment, animals and more. If the Civil War-era food doesn't quite fit your taste, modern food vendors will sell ice cream, funnel cakes, lemon shake-ups and more. There will be a wrestling match and skillet toss competition at 11 a.m. Harriet Tubman will speak at 1:45 p.m. at the Archives Building, and the narrated battle re-enactment will be held from 3 to 3:45 p.m.
On Sunday, children can enjoy games and crafts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. President Lincoln will give his address at 11:30 a.m. Something new this year is the guided tour, where attendees can experience the event with a re-enactor. The narrated battle re-enactment will be held from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., and the generals' news conference will be held at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children ages 4-17, and free for children under 3. Price includes parking and admission to the Lake County Discovery Museum.