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Printed From North Texas e-News == ntxe-news.com Front Page The Rogers Embassy Suites is the headquarters hotel with activities planned for both the resort facility and the Pea Ridge National Military Park, which preserves the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge. “There’s going to be a lot of things to do for all ages,” Monte Harris said. She is the vice president of the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation, and had five great uncles in the Pea Ridge conflict. She also gives presentations at the Rogers Historical Museum. “I think this festival will give people a chance to experience some living history that makes it easier to understand what happened at Pea Ridge and why it’s important to us today.” The festival will begin Thursday, June 7 with a 7 p.m. welcome reception at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers. It will also include the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial state kick-off with “Sessie” arriving in a horse-drawn carriage. Sessie will be portrayed by a woman symbolizing a living history character dressed in vintage clothing from that era. “A Confederate and Union soldier will escort her from the park’s Elkhorn Tavern, which was the inn of its day, to the Embassy Suites, which is the inn of its day,” Harris said. On Friday, June 8, a genealogy workshop will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the convention center. Presenters will be Russell Baker and Glenn and Susan Railsback. The cost is $25. “If anyone has ever wondered if they had ancestors involved in the Civil War this is a chance for them to learn how to pursue that and find out for sure,” said Harris. A Twilight Patriotic Serenade by the Bella Vista Community Concert Band will take place at 7 p.m. at the national park. A donation of $5 is suggested. Park activities for Saturday, June 9 include “Civil War Era Music” provided by the Gum Springs Serenaders and The Camp Followers from 10 a.m. to noon. The “Webb Civil War and Antique Collection,” the personal collections of C.W. and Ann Webb, will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Doug Laman will provide “Civil War Soldier’s Cooking Demonstration” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hosted by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, “Civil War Era Tea at the Elkhorn Tavern” will be offered from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. “We hope to educate the public on Civil War history in northwest Arkansas and the state of Arkansas,” Harris added. “For people that have a great deal of interest in the Civil War already, it’s chance to meet other people with the same interest.” “A Civil War Soldier’s Dream Supper Banquet” will be at 6 p.m. at the convention center. At a cost of $35, it will feature War Eagle Mill cuisine. Music will be provided by Still on the Hills and the keynote speaker will be Dr. Mark Christ of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The festival will conclude Sunday, June 10 with a 10 a.m. “Civil War Memorial Service” at the park. “This is our major fundraiser for the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation,” Harris added. The group has several projects it wants to fund, including purchasing a collection of original paintings by Andy Thomas. The artist created the paintings for the wayside exhibits at preserved battlefield. “We want to purchase the originals and give them to the park,” Harris explained. All events are free to the public except the genealogy workshop, twilight serenade and banquet. To purchase tickets or for more information, phone the Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation at (479) 451-8122. Pea Ridge National Military Park On March 7-8, 1862, some 10,500 Union soldiers turned back about 16,000 Confederate troops who were marching through extreme northwestern Arkansas en route to Missouri with hopes of capturing St. Louis. As a result of the battle, Missouri remained in Union hands for the duration of the Civil War and the door was quickly opened to the federal conquest of Arkansas and the lower Mississippi River. Located on U.S. 62 about nine miles northeast of Rogers, the 4,300-acre Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves the entire battlefield, much of it appearing as it did when the fighting occurred. The park visitors center shows a 30-minute film, "Thunder in the Ozarks," which recounts the battle and provides an informative and inspiring prelude to a self-guided driving tour with wayside exhibits and recorded messages further interpreting the battle. Highlights of the tour include the East Overlook, from which much of the battlefield can be seen lying below, and the reconstructed Elkhorn Tavern. The Pea Ridge battle was also noteworthy as the first Civil War battle in which Native Americans took part on a large scale. Some 1,000 Cherokees participated, including Stand Watie, who would rise to the rank of brigadier general and be the last Confederate general to surrender at war's end. The park also contains a 2.5-mile segment used by 11 Cherokee groups in the late 1830s as they marched from the southeastern U.S. to the Indian Territory during the forced migration known as "the Trail of Tears." For more Pea Ridge information, visit www.nps.gov/peri/ or phone (479) 451-8122. © Copyright 2002-2005 by North Texas e-News, llc. |
