Civil War re-enactment returning to upgraded Carpenter Park

The recently renovated Carpenter Park will again be transformed into a Civil War artillery camp next month as re-enactors demonstrate drills and engage in battles.

The second annual Carpentersville Civil War re-enactment is expected to draw more participants and larger crowds than last year's inaugural event, which had about 195 re-enactors and 1,500 spectators, said Chuck Wozniak, board president for Stanford's Battery Reenactor Group. The Chicago-area nonprofit is hosting the re-enactment, scheduled 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 5 and 6.

"It's fun for the community, and the people that came out were great last year," Wozniak said. "As re-enactors, we like going to places that want us. Carpentersville was fantastic - everything about it - and everybody wanted to come back."

Carpenter Park, off Carpenter Boulevard, was nearly empty and rarely used when the village gave Stanford's Battery the OK to hold last year's event. Frozen state funding had halted a roughly $1 million park improvement project, causing Civil War re-enactors to have to use water and utilities from neighboring homes, Wozniak said.

The project, for which grant money was released last fall, has since been completed, and the park now includes a new playground, restrooms, basketball courts and other amenities. Those improvements will only attract more area residents to the re-enactment, Wozniak said.

"That park has gone through a major change, and we think it should work out pretty nice," he said. "We're excited about it because now there's water on site."

In addition to the battles, the event will include historical presentations, live Civil War-era music, food and beverage vendors, blacksmith forge demonstrations and hands-on clinics for audience members. Spectators can learn how to shoot cannons, and kids can march with fake rifles, Wozniak said.

Drama students from Dundee-Crown High School are returning to perform skits on the Carpenter Park grandstand, he said, and other community organizations will also be on site.

The re-enactment, which costs about $15,000, is funded by a combination of sources, including Stanford's Battery, the village and various donations. Though the event is free, Wozniak said, a $5 donation might be requested to help combat costs.

"The way we've been treated by village and spectators, I'd like to come back every year," he said.