2010 Dan Emmett
Music & Arts Festival
Thursday - Sunday
August 12-15, 2010
Civil War Era Living History Activities
Saturday, August 14, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 15, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Dan Emmett home (501 S. Main St.)
Visitors to this year’s Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival can get an up-close look at what life was like for the soldiers and their families during the Civil War and Colonial times. The Living History encampment will be Saturday, August 14th, on the riverfront near Dan Emmett’s birthplace home, 501 S. Main St.
Members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 30th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co. B, will be on hand. There will be blanket talks, demonstrating the essentials a soldier carried with him in his knapsack; drills, where the soldiers from the 1860s marched and learned battlefield techniques under the watchful eye of their sergeant; and other demonstrations. Members of the Ohio County Militia will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate life of soldiers during the 1700s in America.
The groups will hold a flag raising ceremony on Saturday at 10:00 am on Public Square. Re-enactor soldiers will open their camps from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm so visitors can learn about life in the 1860s and 1700s. The Steve Ball of Ball & Stahl will entertain the audience at Noon and 2:00 pm. A cannon demonstration by the 1st Ohio Light Artillery will be at 1:00 pm. Members of the re-enactment group will explain the different positions of the six-man firing squads, demonstrating what each soldier is required to do, and then firing off the six-pound cannon. A flintlock musket demonstration will also be available at 1:30 pm.
Even with the war going on between the North and the South in the 1860s, there were still plenty of opportunities for men and women to socialize. One of the best ways was a ball, complete with caller, dancing and, of course, socializing. Waltzes and reels were the order of the day, giving men a chance to court a woman in a social setting. A Civil War Period Ball will be held Saturday night from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the First-Knox National Bank parking lot on the corner of South Main and Vine streets. Re-enactors will be participating, but the public is welcome to join in on dances such as the Virginia Reel, the Grand March and the Pattycake Polka.
Volunteers from the Knox County Historical Society will be on hand at Dan Emmett’s home from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday. They will give information and tours on the home of one of Mount Vernon’s most famous people. Emmett was a songwriter and entertainer in the 1800s, known for his songs “Dixie,” “Old Dan Tucker” and “The Blue Tail Fly.” The Dan Emmett home and soldiers’ camps will also be open on Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Living History Schedule
| Friday – August 13th - from noon on, Re-enactor set up (camp not open to the public until Saturday) | ||
| Saturday – August 14th Saturday activities are on the lawn in front of Dan Emmett home (501 S. Main St.) unless otherwise noted |
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| 10:00 am | Dan Emmett House open | |
| 10:00 am | Flag raising on square by Civil War Honor Guard on the square | |
| 10:30 am | Parade from square to Civil War camp | |
| 11:00 am-5:00 pm | Civil War camp open for visitors | |
| 11:15 am | Drill demonstration by Infantry | |
| 11:45 am | Artillery Demonstration | |
| 12:00 Noon | Steve Ball of Ball & Stahl will perform (riverfront) | |
| 1:00 pm | Demonstrations (Civil War artillery, flintlock musket) | |
| 1:00 pm | Artillery Demonstration | |
| 1:30 pm | Early American flintlock rifle demonstration | |
| 2:00 pm | Steve Ball of Ball & Stahl will perform | |
| 3:00 pm | Combined Arms drill demonstration (Artillery, Infantry and Early American) | |
| 5:00 pm | Dan Emmett house closed | |
| 5:00 pm | Camps closed | |
| 6:00 pm | Dan Emmett ceremony in front of Main Stage, downtown | |
| 7:00-9:00 pm | Civil War period dance (First-Knox Bank parking lot on W. Vine St.) | |
| Sunday August 15th | ||
| 10:00 am | Dan Emmett house and camps open | |
| 12:00 Noon | Combined arms demonstration (Infantry, Artillery and Early American) | |
| 2:00 pm | Dan Emmett house and camps closed | |
Note: All schedules and events are subject to change without notice. Please continue to check our website for all the latest updates.
For more information, call 740-392-FEST (3378) or e-mail: [email protected]
For travel and visitor information, visit the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.VisitKnoxOhio.org or call 1-800-837-5282 or (740) 392-6102