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“Honor & Remembrance” -- July 29 & 30, 2011
An evening concert of ballads and patriotic songs sung during the Civil War will be presented at the Brookfield Common bandstand on Friday, July 29 at 7pm as part of a two day tribute marking the rededication of the Brookfield Civil War Monuments.
Soldiers and period citizens from the Mass 15th Volunteers Re-enactors will set up their tents in the late afternoon as they ready for the concert and encampment. It’s a great opportunity to get a first-hand look at a recreated campsite, and visitors are welcome.
At the 7PM concert, members of the Mass 15th will perform music of the period using fiddle, banjos, and guitar. Poems and soldiers’ letters written to family at home will be read, followed by a community sing-along of patriotic music. The concert ends with an open invitation to area fiddlers and musicians who would like to jam and are interested in singing ballads and fiddling tunes. It is hoped this will be a true period fiddle fest of Civil War music.
On Saturday, at 7:00 am, bring your coffee and donuts and listen to the reveille sound across the Brookfield Training Field section of the Common, then visit the Mass 15th as they prepare their breakfast and set the orders for day. It’s a fine way for visitors of all ages to learn the way of a soldier’s life during the Civil War.
At 10am, the Mass 15th Infantry, and those who would like to join them, will begin the “Solemn Procession of Honor & Remembrance” to the Brookfield Cemetery with muffled drum and lowered flags. A simple rededication of the Grand Army of the Republic Soldier’s Monument will take place, simulating parts of original ceremony held in 1890.
Following the rededication, the procession will return to salute the Civil War veterans on the Mall section of the Common, with a display of more than 260 flags representing each soldier from Brookfield who served in the War.
The day continues with an “open house” by the Mass 15th at the encampment site. There will also be a food tent, period games, musket firing, and stories for kids. The Merrick Public Library will be open featuring an exhibit of Civil War items.
Plan to attend this family-friendly historical tribute dedicated to the soldiers of the Civil War on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30. The event is sponsored by the Brookfield Historical Commission with funding from the Brookfield Community Club and special help from the Brookfield Cemetery Commission and the Merrick Public Library.
Historical Commission Members
Ron Couture
Matt Custer
Pauline Merrick
Lois O'Leary
Peg Puza
William Puza
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