Civil War, WW II encampments come to Elgin area
The Elgin area will be a destination for history buffs this weekend. Two eras - World War II and the Civil War - will be recreated.
For a first-time effort, the Elgin Civil War Experience - which will include nearly 500 re-enactors, cannons and horses - is shaping up fantastically, according to members of the organizing committee.
It will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 10, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at 600 S. State St., Elgin. The Battle of Fort Donelson will be at 2 p.m. June 10, while the Battle of Milliken's Bend is at 1 p.m. June 11.
Advance tickets are $5 at cityofelgin.org/civilwar; free with valid veterans ID and for children younger than 5. Tickets are $7 at the gate.
Featuring the 9th Virginia Cavalry Company B and McGregor's Battery Horse Artillery, the event will include live skirmishes, Confederate and Union encampments, medical field operations and vintage baseball.
"The support we are getting from Elgin is incredible," said Gerald Morin of Antioch. "They've offered us a generous amount to be able to put this on and they've given us a spectacular place to re-enact."
Jack Pickup of Barrington says he expects up to 3,000 people, possibly more.
"We are trying to teach history, so people don't forget what happened and it doesn't repeat itself," said John Braese of Rockford, an Elgin public works mechanic who is a driving force behind the event.
Rails to Victory
It's 1944 all over again when the Fox River Trolley Museum hosts its annual Rails to Victory weekend from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 10, and 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at the Fox River Trolley Museum, 361 S. La Fox St. (Route 31), South Elgin.
Admission to the grounds is free. Tickets for trolley rides into occupied France are $16.67 and available at foxtrolley.org/rails-to-victory. For details, call (847) 697-4676.
Seven times on Saturday - at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. - riders can board a trolley adventure into "Occupied France," recreating the European interurban rail line that ran between Paris and Rouen, along the Seine River, during the summer of 1944.
Those who dare can help the French Resistance deliver an important package under the nose of Vichy/Nazi occupiers in a ride complete with skirmishes.
While the performance is family-friendly, it is not recommended for the very young who may be upset by loud noises, theatrical gunfire and battle re-enacting.
Special tickets and "French ID papers" for all rides are available at the museum or online at www.foxtrolley.org on the day of the event.
Stroll through the museum grounds to experience a World War II military encampment, view a period battle at 3 p.m. Sunday on the banks of the Fox River, and watch a 12:30 p.m. Sunday U.S. Home Front baseball game with the Rockford Peaches, made famous in the 1992 film "A League of Their Own."
Additional events include an Army medical demonstration and a period World War II bicycle parade and trail ride; period military vehicles will be on display. Admission to the grounds is free.
• Daily Herald staff writer Elena Ferrarin contributed to this report.