By Sue Moore
Once again, members of the greater Vicksburg community members stepped in to volunteer their time and talents to make a big event succeed.
The Vicksburg Historical Society was the official sponsor of the Battle of Sunset Lake, the Revolutionary War re-enactment. It took place on the grounds of the Prudential Nursery, the Historic Village and the community pavilion, but that hardly tells the complete story.
It could not have happened without the many volunteers who put in countless hours before, during and after the event. Hopefully, you will know the efforts were much appreciated by the organizers.
The Vicksburg Department of Public Works, the police department, Stella Shearer, Renee Hawkins (Boy Scouts) and Stefan Sekula did much of the initial planning. Robin Maple, Marian Steffens, Pam Garrett, the ladies of St. Martin’s Catholic Church, the Chapman Memorial Nazarene Church, the Vicksburg United Methodist Church, all helped to prepare the food for the 200 plus re-enactors. It is said that an army needs to march on a full stomach and this certainly was the case for the re-enactors as they loved the home cooked meal more than anything.
A dedicated group of volunteers called the “Gophers” worked tirelessly to help setup, take down and fetch needed items. They were headed by Donna Cratsenburg-Scott, Kevin Scott, Kathleen Greaver, Jennifer Grace, Allison Ring, Mary Ruple, Brian Freiberger, Steve, Kim and Jonathon Warner, Mike Hill, Chad Brady, John Polasek, and April Bryan.
Ron and Carol Wilson handled the parking duties as they have done for several years with the Harvest Festival so Ron brings tremendous experience to the job. Jason Gatlin and Skip Knowles for volunteering the use of their sound systems and the Vicksburg schools for the chairs that made the visitors much more comfortable than sitting on the ground.
The whole event would not have happened without Cindy and Charlie Krill allowing the use of their property as a campsite and the ice cream gift from Apple Knockers.