Blue, gray clash again at Lombard re-enactment

It's a little bit like stepping into the WABAC machine with Mr. Peabody and his boy, Sherman, and suddenly finding yourself back in the 1860s, plopped down in the middle of a skirmish between the Blue and Gray.

Only the soldiers here aren't cartoon characters, they're re-enactors giving visitors to Lombard's Four Seasons Park a firsthand taste of what it was like to serve in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

Sponsored by the Lombard Historical Society, the annual re-enactment opened Saturday and will continue Sunday in the park at Finley Road and 16th Street.

There's plenty to see and do at the event - you can check out the weaponry and equipment, talk with Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln impersonators and even hear some period music - but the highlight is almost always the skirmishes between the North and South that will be offered again at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

It's a chance to hear the roar of cannons, smell the smoke and see what it was like to face the enemy at close range.

"I always look forward to the battles," historical society Executive Director Sarah Richardt said in the days leading up to the encampment. "It's a pyrotechnic amazement, the things that they do that make this look realistic."

Organizers ask for a $5 donation per person to walk the grounds and get a valuable lesson in our nation's history.

For a full list of Sunday's activities or other information, visit lombardcivilwar.weebly.com.