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Civil-War re-enactment brings battle to Canfield
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Confederate soldiers march to battle during a past Civil War reenactment at Argus Park in Canfield. Greg Anstrom, of Argus Lodge, said this reenactment is one of the largest in this area and will bring between 350 and 400 people in to take part as soldiers for the North and South. The event runs Saturday and Sunday at Argus Park off Shields Road, and gates open at 10 a.m..
By Elise Franco
Canfield
In just a few days, Argus Park will be transformed from more than 40 acres of peaceful green space to an all-out battlefield.
The park, on Shields Road in Canfield Township, is where Union and Confederate soldiers will fight it out during the Argus Lodge No. 545’s sixth biannual Civil War Re-enactment.
Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10 a.m., patrons will take a trip back to the past and see just what life was like in 1863, said lodge member Greg Anstrom. Ground charge battles begin at 2 p.m. both days.
Admission is $5, and free for children 10 and under.
“It’s significant because of the ground charges. This is what you would call a regional re-enactment, and most of the regionals don’t have ground charges,” Anstrom said. “You’ll actually see cannon balls flying through the air.”
He said between 350 and 400 re-enactors from five states participate in the weekend-long event.
“When the gates open, these people go into the period,” he said. “You would really think they’re back in 1863.”
Anstrom said the first reenactment was in 2003. He said the Argus Lodge members wanted to do something special on the park property.
“The reason we started this is we were looking for something to do that would be good for the lodge members and the community,” he said. “We have beautiful grounds there that weren’t being utilized enough.”
Don VanMeter of North Jackson said the re-enactment is one of the area’s largest.
“Because of our pyrotechnics, the Argus Park event is more attractive,” he said. “That’s not something you see often because it’s very expensive.”
VanMeter said guests should expect to be impressed with this year’s performance.
“We’ve improved on our charges this year, so it should be a lot better than in years past,” he said. “You’ll see an explosion, then Union soldiers going down into that crater, and then Confederate soldiers pushing them up with conflict ensuing after that.”
VanMeter, 69, said he’s been involved in re-enactments since 1988 and described this particular one as a great learning tool.
“It’s bringing an education to the public about probably the most important part of American history,” he said. “It’s a very good opportunity for the average public to get an education about the Civil War. ... The young people get an idea of how the armies operated instead of just reading it in the books.”