Denton County Heritage Festival
Saturday, April 12, 2014
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
At the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square, Denton TX

Take a step back in time at the first annual Denton County Heritage Festival, a free public event which will take place on Saturday, April 12, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square in downtown Denton.

This year’s festival will commemorate the years 1861-1877 in Denton County, a time of great change and growth.  These were the years of the Civil War, of Reconstruction, and of the rise of the ranching economy and the “Cowboy Culture.”

Don’t miss the Opening Ceremony, which will begin at 10:00 a.m. on the west side of the Courthouse, featuring the Denton Community Band, the Guyer High School Color Guard, a welcome address by County Judge Mary Horn, and the introduction of four “historic” county officials of the era, portrayed by local residents: District Judge Joseph A. Carroll, County Judge and newspaper editor Tom Hogg, County Treasurer and hotel owner Henderson Murphy, and Sheriff W.F. Egan.

Following the Opening Ceremony, visitors to the Courthouse lawn can enjoy a day full of fun on the Courthouse lawn, including:
• A brass band concert by the Denton Community Band, conducted by Carol Lynn Mizell
• A vocal concert, presenting old-time, a cappella hymns sung by Vocal Magic;
• A re-enactment of a walking funeral procession, “The Bearing Away of the Ancestor”
• A bluegrass/folk music concert by the Montague County Volunteers.
• Storytelling and other activities for children
• A “Cowboy Culture Corner”
• Re-enacted scenes from the Civil War, including two military camps, one Union and one Confederate,  presented by the 9th Texas Infantry, Red River Battalion
• A display of crafts and other items by vendors and volunteers from the Denton Community Market, dressed in period costume

The final event of the day will a Mini-Chautauqua, held in the historic Commissioners Courtroom on the second floor of the Courthouse. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane, accompanied by harpist Ellen Ritscher Sackett, will perform songs of Stephen Foster. Attorney John P. Knouse will present a delightful reading of Mark Twain’s A Private History of a Campaign That Failed, Twain’s account his brief time as a volunteer in a Confederate militia.

The Mini-Chautauqua and the Festival itself will close dramatically with a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Yul Shelton.

Everyone in Denton County is invited to come to the Courthouse for this wonderful journey into our county’s past. Many members of the Denton County Historical Commission will be present in period costume, and the public is encouraged to join in by wearing clothing or costumes appropriate to the era, 1861-1877.

The Denton County Heritage Festival is sponsored by the Denton County Historical Commission and its partners:  The Denton County Office of History & Culture; the Denton County Commissioners Court; Denton Main Street Association; UNT on the Square; University of North Texas College of Music; the Denton Community Market; the Denton Community Band; the Denton Kiwanis Club; Rose Costumes; Musicians’ Hub; the 9th Texas Infantry, Red River Battalion; the Montague County Volunteers; and Julia Alison Photography.

For more information and for updates, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DentonCountyHeritageFestival