SIDNEY — Final plans are being made for Sidney’s Civil War Living History Weekend. The two-day event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22 in Tawawa Park. The event is free and open to the public.

“Tawawa Park’s 230 acres is ideally suited for this event,” Sidney’s Parks and Recreation Director Duane Gaier commented. “The park’s terrain includes wooded hills, bluffs, two lakes, a creek and a mill race. Reenactors have commented in previous years that it is one of their favorite venues.” Gaier is a member of the planning committee.

The schedule will include battles reenacted on Saturday at 2 p.m. and at 7 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Visitors are likely to see skirmishing as scouting units of the opposing armies collide with each other during the event.

“There will be food vendors who will be well-supplied with food and drink,” Shelby County Historical Society Executive Director Tilda Phlipot stated. In addition to her duties as the Society’s executive director, Phlipot is an original member of the planning committee. The biennial event is one of the Society’s award-winning programs.

“Visitors are welcome to stop by the encampments of both Union and Confederate reenactors and talk with participants about the life of the common soldier during the Civil War,” long-time reenactor Doug Slagle stated. Slagle is also a member of the planning committee. “Visitors should feel free to ask about the food they are eating, the weapons being used, drill, camp life and even tactics.”

“Please remember that not all reenactors will be as knowledgeable as others. You may want to ask the same questions of multiple reenactors,” Slagle explained. “Remember as well that answers may be different depending upon the encampment. Confederate soldiers will likely feel much differently about the war than Union soldiers.”

“An important part of the two-day event is educational,” Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst stated. Barhorst has chaired the planning committee since the program began in 2016. “We always invite speakers who have expert knowledge of some facet of the Civil War to come to Sidney to speak during the event.”

“A few of our speakers this year will include published authors, including Kent Masterson Brown, Steven Cowie, Martin Gotlieb, and John Matteson,” Barhorst continued. “Kent Masterson Brown has written a number of books including Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command, The Confederacy’s First Battle Flag: The Story of the Southern Cross, and Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign.”

“Steven Cowie is a lifelong student of the Civil War,” Barhorst stated. “He dedicated fifteen years of his life researching the Battle of Antietam (also known as Sharpsburg). The battle was the war’s deadliest single-day battle. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg is Mr. Cowie’s first book.”

“Martin Gottlieb was an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News for 27 years, and wrote about Dayton native and US Congressman Clement Vallandigham,” Barhorst noted. “His book, Lincoln’s Northern Nemesis: The War Opposition and Exile of Ohio’s Clement Vallandigham is the remarkable story of Lincoln’s banishment from the country of a sitting congressman. Imagine if a president attempted to do such a thing today.”

“Pulitzer Prize winning author John Mattteson will be another of the published authors who will be joining us,” Barhorst stated. “He will be talking about the Battle of Fredericksburg as detailed in his book, A Place Worse Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation.”

The authors will have copies of their respective books for sale. They will also be available to autograph the books should visitors attending the event desire.

Visitors are reminded to stay clear of troops who are skirmishing or engaged in battle. “Although our reenactors will be firing blanks, serious injuries and even deaths have occurred at similar events in the past when those in attendance do not follow simple, common sense rules,” Slagle stated. “Standing in front of any gun being fired is not only dangerous, but can be deadly.”

“Additional information about the event can be found online at www.sidneycivilwar.com,” Webmaster Chad Cochran stated. Cochran, also a reenactor, had been a member of the planning committee for several years.