Waverly Civil War festival to feature statue dedication, battle re-enactment

Thursday, June 18, 2009
By GEOFF RANDS/Staff writer

A scene from a battle re-enactment last year in Waverly.
(Contributed photo)
[Click to enlarge]

To celebrate its historical connection with the Civil War, the annual Civil War History Festival will be held in Waverly Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28.

The weekend will be filled by a number of events, including breakfasts at the fire station, a parade, a talent show, a cannon firing and fireworks display, skits, wagon tours and a re-enactment of a Civil War battle.

A dedication of Gen. J.O. Shelby Memorial Park, as well as the statue within the park that bears his image, will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The schedule for the weekend includes a warning to attendees that, because participants in the festival are working to portray Waverly as it was in the 1850s and 1860s, "there might be gun battles that can break out" at any time, "just like it was in those early days, when there were skirmishes from house to house with neighbors and brothers ... fighting for what they thought was right."

Saturday's activities will run from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and the events on Sunday will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A full schedule of the weekend's events is available at www.waverlyarts.org/calendar.htm.

Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net

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I'm glad to see that there are still some places where we can celebrate the Confederate heroes without being berated by liberals.

-- Posted by rowdybusch4president on Thu, Jun 18, 2009, at 12:52 PM