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 # # # # To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html