OKEMOS - This Saturday, the Friends of Historic Meridian hosted their Blue and Grey Event featuring themed exhibits from the early 19th century and reenactments of Civil War battles at the Meridian Historical Village between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

The event showcased an array of exhibits demonstrating the life of civilians and military soldiers during the Civil War from the different aspects of the average civilian life during that historical period.

Military Captain Doug McComas from the 7th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Company B stated, “We are here in central Michigan, most of our group members come from the Lansing, Mason, and Jackson area. Civil War reenacting is a volunteer activity that people join, we always are looking for people to help and join our group, we welcome new people to come and drill with us and show people the living aspects of history.”

The Blue and Grey brought together reenactors from the 102nd U.S. and Colored Troops 7th Michigan Volunteer Company B and Texas Infantry with different parts of the event scheduled at various times such as the drop spinning demonstration, 1860’s fashion attire talk, military skirmishes, and a first-person historical interpretation of a soldier’s life and his equipment talk.

Patrick Reynolds, the Executive Director of Friends of Historic Meridian, stated, “Our mission is to sustain an active appreciation of local history, and one of the ways we do that is with events like this bringing in reenactors to bring the local history to life in addition to hosting tours on Saturday from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm offering volunteer opportunities for members of the community.

Visit the Friends for Historic Meridian webpage for more information about volunteer opportunities and events at the Meridian Historical Village.