Two Civil War re-enactors from Gordon County, Ga., say that, even if a government shutdown on Saturday calls a halt to the re-enactment of the 150th anniversary of the shelling of Fort Sumter in South Carolina, they’re still bound to have a good time.
The looming shutdown of the federal government includes the National Parks Service, which could mean no festivities to commemorate the start of the Civil War with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.
But Dennis Melville from Calhoun, Ga., said today that he’s been looking forward to the Fort Sumter festivities for a while, so he’s determined that the trip to Charleston will be worthwhile.
“All I know is it’s the 150th anniversary and we’re here, so we’re going to make the best of it,” Melville said, wearing a shirt commemorating the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Resaca in 1999.
His buddy, Keith West, echoed those sentiments. If the government shutdown stops the Fort Sumter re-enactment, he said, they’ll be visiting some non-federal Civil War sites — even though both play Union privates in re-enactments.
“We’re going to have fun, no matter what,” said West, wearing a shirt commemorating the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Andy began working at the Times Free Press in July 2008 as a general assignment reporter before focusing on Northwest Georgia and Georgia politics in May of 2009. Before coming to the Times Free Press, Andy worked for the Anniston Star, the Rome News Tribune and the Campus Carrier at Berry College, where he graduated with a communications degree in 2006. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tennessee ...
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