Photos by Tabitha Johnston Reenactors give a flintlock rifle demonstration at Morgan’s Grove Park on Saturday.

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The final event held in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Bee Line March was held at Morgan’s Grove Park and in downtown Shepherdstown on Saturday.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Second Continental Congress called for 10 companies of riflemen from Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland to aid General George Washington at the Siege of Boston.

The first to answer the call was a company from Shepherdstown, which set off on July 17, 1775 from a location near Morgan’s Grove Park — Morgan’s Spring — and made the 600-mile march on foot in a record 25 days.

That moment in history was portrayed on Saturday by a large group of reenactors, who set up a military encampment at the park in the morning and then, in the afternoon, marched into downtown Shepherdstown.

Throughout the day at the park, a variety of of activities were held, including: military drills, children’s 18th century games, flintlock rifle demonstrations, musical performances by the Old Line Fife and Drum Corps and speeches on various aspects of Revolutionary War life, such as colonial hygiene practices and clothing trends. Food trucks selling barbecue, macaroni and cheese, artisanal ice cream and lemonade were also on site, enabling attendees to make a day of the experience.

“There have been a steady group of people who have come in, listened to one or more talks and gone on to spent some time with the reenactors. We’ve had some people who showed up at a quarter of 10 this morning and have been here all day,” said Donna Bertazzoni, who co-chaired the Bee Line March 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee with Peter Smith. “It has been very well received. Everybody has been impressed with the event itself and what’s available to look at and to listen to here.”

While one of the other events in the 250th anniversary celebration series, held at the park on June 14, featured a similar concept to it, Bertazzoni said several elements ensured Saturday’s event remained unique.

“It’s a very different type of an event,” Bertazzoni said. “The other one had all of the dignitaries and officials in attendance, whereas this one is more focused on the soldiers — this is what they did and what they looked like and how they prepared to go on the Bee Line March.”

At least five of the reenactors and historians participating in the event came to it with professional experience — three of whom are current artisans and reenactors at Colonial Williamsburg, one of whom was previously employed as a reenactor at Colonial Williamsburg and one of whom was previously employed at Mount Vernon. For them, the Bee Line March 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee’s desire for historical accuracy inspired them to participate in the event.

“Frankly, with a lot of events, the standards that are set in place are [pretty low]. Events with a higher standard like this are exciting,” said Sam McGinty, after leading the final flintlock rifle demonstration of the day. “It incentivizes the reenactors and historians here, to know that they are going to an event that emphasizes quality, with a certain degree of reverentialness to the topic.”

McGinty was participating with a reenactment group he belongs to, the Crockett’s Rifles Unit. To make it to the event in time for its start that morning, he had to make the trip up to Shepherdstown the previous evening.

“I was marching around at Colonial Williamsburg yesterday at four o’clock, showered as quickly as I could, hopped in the truck and drove up here last night,” McGinty, who is the supervisor of military programs at Colonial Williamsburg, said. “This was important enough, that I wasn’t going to consider missing it.”

Reenactors cook and fill plates at the military encampment in Morgan’s Grove Park on Saturday