Prior to Union and Confederate soldiers re-enacting the first land battle of the Civil War this weekend in Philippi, nearly 1,000 elementary school students invaded the town on Friday as part of the Blue and Gray Reunion's Kids Day.
Elementary school students from several surrounding counties participated in the event including Barbour, Upshur, Preston, Monongalia and Taylor. More than 40 different stations were set up for the children to learn about various aspects of the Civil War and the heritage of Philippi.
Philippi Elementary School teacher Sheryl Bolton brought her fifth grade class to learn "first-hand" what life was like in 1861. She said Kids Day is an excellent tool for teaching local children about their heritage and the role Philippi played in the Civil War.
"It's a lot more interesting for them than to just use a book or hear somebody talking," Bolton said. "They can actually interact with the presenters and try on some of the clothing and see the things that they used."
Two of Bolton's students, Cera Delauder and Cheyenne Taylor, were thankful for the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom on a warm day.
"I learned a lot about the culture of the people of the area," Delauder said.
"I can't pick a favorite activity," Taylor said. "I learned so much."
Cara Price, the school counselor at Hodgesville Elementary School, said her students also enjoyed visiting all the stations and participating in the various activities. Located in Upshur County, the school sent a group of fourth and fifth grade students.
"This is living history," Price said. "It is just a wonderful opportunity to get the kids out of the classroom. They get to see the actual characters playing out how it would be like in Civil War times. I think they actually learned better (here) than they would have in the classroom, today."
Fourth-graders Brandon Ware and Charles Bright agreed the trip was a learning experience.
"I really liked the museum," Ware said. "The mummies, the weapons and wooden tools the people used were really cool."
"I liked the cannons and the shooting, I thought that was pretty neat," Bright added.
Everywhere in town, kids were hustling back and forth between stations discovering everything from the way soldiers cooked to Civil War toys and games. Many re-enactors wore clothing from the period to demonstrate what folks dressed like during the Civil War.
Re-enactor Dave Jones of Bray, Pennsylvania, said his favorite part is teaching the kids about the history of the Civil War. For his station, Jones demonstrated how soldiers cooked over an open fire pit.
"The kids seemed really interested in seeing how people cooked over an open fire," Bray said. "They think it's pretty neat. I show them how it was done back in the time of the Civil War."
One of the stations for Kids Day was the Barbour County Museum, which is home to many Civil War relics and the popular "Philippi Mummies."
"It's been very nice and orderly," Suzie Lambert, a volunteer at the museum, said. "We've had several children come through and they all say, 'wow this is cool.' We've had a nice day for it and we're grateful to have the opportunity to have all these children see the history of Philippi and Barbour County."
Aside from all the historical information stations, several vendors and food stands were set up. Several craft items including instruments, clothing from the period and various other odds-and-ends could be found.
The Blue and Gray Reunion continues throughout the weekend in Philippi. Highlights for Saturday include a Little Soldiers Battle, in which children of the re-enactors perform their own rendition of the event, at 10 a.m.
A scaled-down version of the skirmish will begin near the bridge area at 1 p.m. Later, a Civil War Ball will be on the courthouse lawn at 8 p.m. A "night skirmish" will cap the evening at 11 p.m.
Sunday will open with an 1800s-style church service at 10 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church. A full re-enactment of the first land battle is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the Philippi Covered Bridge.
