Central City Public Library

EXPERIENCE LIFE DURING THE CIVIL WAR at the Central City Public Library’s Tribute for the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War  at the Merrick County Fair  – July 30 –  Noon-2 PM

                                     Exhibits and activities include: Civil War Reinactment with the Hood Family—see what life was like for a soldier and family,  listen as they explain weaponry, foods, flags, tents, etc.  Taste “hardtack” and learn other  cool  stuff!! The Lone Tree Quilters Guild will help  you make a quilt square. Quilts were used as secret escape codes by slaves to guide them to freedom on the Underground Railroad.  You will make individual quilt blocks from paper that were part of those codes.  You will also learn the secret message that certain quilt blocks  held. Listen to Civil War era songs on old phonographs (from the early 1900’s), with Scott Musil. View the coloring contest entries and see who the 5 winners are in each of the 3 categories:  4-5 Year Olds, 6-8 Year Olds, and 9-12 Year Olds.  Please pick up a coloring page ahead of   time and color it to the best of your ability.  Return it to the library before the 29^th and get  a certificate for a prize that you can redeem at the Civil War event on July 30  @ the fair. Visit with various historical characters from the Civil War as they wander around the midway.      Listen as they tell you about themselves and their lives. Take your picture in one of the Civil War photograph posters.  Be sure to bring your camera! See what school was like for children in the 1860’s by visiting the old schoolhouse. Play with the Rebel and Union toy soldiers and stage your own mock battles in our   “battlefield.” Play games from the 1860’s with the 4-H Junior Leaders, like “Blind Man’s Bluff” and others. Register for lots of  cool prizes like Union and Confederate hats,  other great stuff!

This project was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library of America, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  The grants are being offered as part of the “Civil War 150” project (a project timed with the 150^th anniversary to encourage public exploration of the impact of the American Civil War).