Submitted photo The Beverly Heritage Center is sponsoring the annual Beverly Heritage Day, which will offer a variety of activities, performances and food Saturday.

BEVERLY — The circus is coming to town for Beverly Heritage Day on Saturday.

The annual timeline history event, running from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., will offer circus performers and carnival games, a Civil War art show, and a range of living history demonstrations, food and music through the day.

“Each year we aim to add something new, different and fun,” said Phyllis Baxter, a member of the event committee for the Beverly Heritage Center.

“The vintage circus theme, with performers and games, gives us the chance to showcase a part of history we don’t usually know about. This will be fun for children, families and everyone who enjoys a good time.”

The circus fire and juggling performances by Out of the Ashes Fire and Flow Arts in the Beverly Town Square will be reminiscent of vintage side-show acts that may have traveled to rural towns in the late 19th or early 20th century.

The carnival will also feature Sam Winkler as a “snake oil salesman” promoting late 19th-century patent medicine, and sketch artist J.R. Earle will be selling custom drawn caricatures.

Visitors can participate in vintage lawn and carnival games, as well as craft activities for children and adults, such as papermaking and sewing crafts with small prizes and take-away crafts for some activities.

Another new feature will be offered at the historic Laura Jackson Arnold house. The Civil War Art Show special exhibit will feature Civil War original sketches, prints, paintings and three-dimensional art by soldiers, civilians and noted artists of the Civil War period to late 19th century related to West Virginia and the First Campaign, events that took place in this region.

While at the Arnold House, the public can take the opportunity to tour the historic home and learn about Laura Jackson Arnold, sister of General “Stonewall” Jackson. A Union sympathizer, she opened her home to wounded soldiers during the war.

Attendees can enjoy old-fashioned ice cream floats in the Arnold house yard, while listening to live old-time music.

The Parade of History at 10 a.m. will introduce the circus performers and living history characters. Activities and living history camps will be open through the day with music, tours and food at scheduled times. Living history interpreters will share their experiences, along with traditional craft demonstrators.

The historic 1841 Randolph County Jail will be available to tour, including behind-the-scenes rooms not yet restored. Carriage rides in a horse-drawn wagon, boarding near the jail, will be available for a small fee, exploring some back roads of Beverly.

Programs about Civil War mapping will be offered by Don Teter at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Randolph County Museum. The Museum and the Subscription School behind it will be open for visitors.

Bringing the past to the modern day, a “selfie” scavenger hunt will award prizes to those who discover Beverly Heritage Day activities and share their experiences.

The schedule includes:

Beverly Heritage Day – The Circus Comes to Town

10 a.m. — Parade of History

10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. — Camps open and activities, Museums open

Living history and historic craft demonstrations,

Carriage rides; Games and crafts, kids activities

Civil War art show and tours at Arnold house

10:30 a.m., Noon and 4 p.m. — Jail tours

10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. — Civil War Mapping presentations at Randolph County Museum

11 a.m., 2 and 3:30 p.m. — Snake Oil Salesman

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. — Lunch and Pie Sale (BHC)

11:30 a.m. — Live music: Fair Play (Goff yard)

12:30 p.m. — Ice cream and Old-time music (Arnold House)

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. — Fire performers (Town Square)

1:30 p.m. — Live music: Mountain Winds (BHC)

Support for the event from Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB, Citizens Bank of West Virginia, Davis Trust Company, Town of Beverly, and West Virginia Reenactors Association enables most activities to be free to the public. Admission to the Beverly Heritage Center museum is also free for the day. Beverly Heritage Day is sponsored by the Beverly Heritage Center.

For information, see www.beverlyheritagecenter.org, email info@beverlyheritagecenter.org or call 304-637-7424.