For additional information: For Immediate Release:
Contact: Scott Smith March 29, 2002
(540) 586-2148
EXPERIENCE BEDFORD LIFE IN THE 1860s ON APRIL 5-7
A unique event entitled “Living Liberty” will be filling Centertown Bedford
with glimpses of life in the 1860s on the weekend of April 5th-7th.
Three historic sites, the Bedford City/County Museum, the Historic Meeting
House, and Historic Avenel, will serve as backdrops for a weekend full of
living history presentations, music, and more.
Living Liberty will kick off with a period wedding ceremony at 6:00 Friday
evening, followed by a candlelight tour of Centertown at 8:00. Participants
in the tour might just find themselves coming in contact with personalities
of the era, including Robert E. Lee, Francis Otey Hoffman, and Jubal Early!
At 10:00 Saturday morning, a parade featuring Civil War Infantry, Artillery,
and Cavalry will proceed from the Bedford City/County Museum to Historic
Avenel. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to learn first-hand about
the life of the Civil War soldier at the military encampment at Avenel. A
Field Surgery will demonstrate medical care during the 19th century.
Wayne Rhodes, co-author of Free Blacks of Lynchburg, 1805-1865 and Katherine
Knox, a descendant of an area Freeman, will give a presentation on Slaves
and Free Blacks in Central Virginia at the Bedford City/County Museum at
11:00am.
Al Stone, a nationally known reenactor, will be portraying Robert E. Lee
throughout the weekend. Lee actually visited Avenel, an 1830s Greek Revival
home, just after the Civil War in 1867. Stone portrayed Lee at the recent
“Trial of Robert E. Lee” at Liberty University, at the Greenbrier Resort, at
Appomattox Court House National Park, and at Washington & Lee University.
Interpreter Leni Sorensen (Director of Reynolds Homestead in Patrick County)
will be conducting demonstrations on fabric production by slaves, free
blacks, and working class whites throughout the day at Avenel.
Music will fill the air as the Virginia Grays Fife & Drum Corps performs at
Centertown Park and at Avenel. “Bramble & Rose”, a local group performing
traditional Appalachian music, will be playing at Avenel from 2:00pm-4:00pm
on Saturday. Opera Singer Corinna Herden, who has performed at the White
House, will be presenting songs of the 19th century, including Irish &
American tunes and pieces by Stephen Foster at the Historic Meeting House at
5:00pm.
Free event programs, which will include a schedule, map, and driving tour of
historic homes of the period, will be available throughout the event at the
City/County Museum, Historic Meeting House, and Historic Avenel.
Also included in the event program is a “Liberty Buck”, which can be
redeemed for a discount at participating Centertown Merchants during the
weekend.
All Living Liberty activities are free to the public, except for the
Candlelight Tour of Centertown (Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm). Tickets for
the Tour are only $5 and can be purchased in advance from Arthur’s Jewelry
and the Bedford City/County Museum beginning Monday April 1st.
Sunday April 7th will feature a period church service at the Historic
Meeting House at 10:30am, followed by a 100th Anniversary Celebration of the
UDC at 2:00pm at the Bedford City/County Museum.
All net proceeds from Living Liberty will go toward the Bedford Southside
Dragoons (2nd Virginia Cavalry) flag restoration project.
For more information on this event, including a schedule of activities,
visit www.bedfordmainstreet.org or call Bedford Main Street at (540)
586-2148
Area organizations participating in Living Liberty include:
· Bedford City/County Museum
· Bedford Council for the Arts
· Bedford Main Street, Inc.
· Bedford Rifle Grays Camp, SCV
· Reynolds Homestead
· William R. Terry Chapter, UDC
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