Yes… hot…. H – O – T, hot! But worth what every discomfort the weather brought.
Got back a few hours ago from a trip to Manassas attending the 150th events at the park. In spite of the heat, the experience was more positive than negative. I’d love to hear an account of how the park prepared for this week. I wager that seasoned project managers would stand in awe of the work done.
First and foremost, one of the usual touch points for visitors to a big event like this is access. The staff handled parking and the shuttle buses in an orderly, efficient manner. This was not a “free” day at the park. But the staff avoided another potential bottleneck with a very efficient “triage” system for admissions. In short, no visitors standing about complaining about the line. And that was no small achievement.
Entrance Tent - 150th Manassas
I know what some are thinking… must not be a lot of people there. Well about 40 people got off the bus about the same time I did. The line moved fast, so you don’t see them, or the others in attendance, waiting in line.
And tents… the event featured tents for practically every purpose you might imagine. Most thankfully, for shade!
Main Event Tents on Henry Hill
The “fun” tent was set aside for youth activities.
Family and Youth Tent
I didn’t have my aide-de-camp with me, so I’m lacking an expert opinion on the activities. But judging from the smiling faces and happy noises, the kids must have liked some of the programs. I know the real “hot item” was the Civil War trading cards given away as a reward.
My focus was the ranger led programs for the day. While nothing really new for a grodnard like me, I always like hearing about the battle while standing on the battlefield. Often gives new perspectives. The program list reads like a “who’s who” from the National Park Service’s ranks. I also noticed many volunteers helping to orient visitors. Top notch programs to say the least.
One of my favorite exhibit areas was the Robinson House.
Robinson House - A Slave Family in the Crossfire
As with most of the exhibit areas, temporary banner displays helped interpretation.
Temporary Exhibits at the Robinson House
But as will happen, my attention was drawn to the live demonstrations on Henry Hill. First the muskets….
Infantry Demonstration
… then the cannons.
Artillery Demonstration
And the artillery demo included a four gun “fire by battery”!
Fire by Battery
You can see some of the crowd in those photos. I’m not a good crowd photographer. Instinctively I try to avoid getting the crowd in the picture. Nor am I good at crowd estimates. But I would call the attendance much heavier than Manassas anniversaries of previous years. Much larger. And more diverse.
In addition to the NPS exhibits, the Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission’s brand new “HistoryMoble.”
The HistoryMobile
The traveling display is divided into three segments. First a “battle” that immerses the visitor with sound and visuals to replicate the experience of a Civil War fight. While the immersion was not complete, it is perhaps all one can do with a mobile exhibit. But as the “battle” winds down, the narrator reads a letter written by a soldier at Spotsylvania, as he lay dying of a mortal wound, relating his last worldly thoughts. The effect brings the visitor out of the “Civil War battle” and places the people who experienced the war at the fore.
The other two sections provide visitors with interactive displays that feature different and divergent stories of Virginians in the war – Confederate and Unionist, male and female, slave and freedman.
What didn’t I like about the day?
This -
Buzzing Helicopter
This Huey kept buzzing the battlefield. I don’t know the purpose, but I do know it was annoying.
The staff at Manassas National Battlefield Park, both uniformed and volunteer, put on a well run show this Saturday. In spite of the heat, this was an entertaining event. I do hope “lessons learned” get circulated around to the other parks. I think the Antietam crew, who assisted over the last few days, would agree – the bar is set rather high now.
