A good way to remember and understand events of the past is to imagine that you were there, to SEE the events in your mind's eye.
The late, beloved American broadcaster Walter Cronkite used that approach in a TV series he narrated, "YOU ARE THERE."
Alabama preservationists also use that approach to organize "Living History" days. Spring 2024 is blooming with historical reenactments and in-person history lessons at four Alabama sites:
March 23: USS Alabama Memorial Park.
April 6: Blakely State Park, Baldwin County.
April 20-21: Confederate Memorial Park, Marbury.
April 20-21: French and Indian Days, Fort Toulouse, Wetumpka.
(The last two events are less than 30 minutes apart and last for two days. Serious students of Alabama history can catch both with no problem.)
Details below:
World War II comes to life on Saturday, March 23 at the USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park.
(2) Living History Crew Drill | Facebook
Alabama's largest Civil War Battlefield will be manned on Saturday, April 6, at Blakely State Park north of Spanish Fort in Baldwin County.
(2) Living History Day | Facebook
A 'Living History and Skirmish' will be hosted April 20-21 at Alabama's Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury in Autauga County.
(2) CMP Living History & Skirmish - April 20-21, 2024 | Facebook
French and Indian Days are recreated at Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson in Wetumpka on Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson (alabama.gov)
The Living History events are good day trips. You can take advantage of Alabama's moderate Springtime weather.
Alabama may well be the historical recreation mecca of the United States.
"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree." — MICHAEL CRICHTON, Science fiction novelist.
Jim Zeigler is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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