QUEENS — A Kew Gardens cemetery will be transformed into a Civil War camp this weekend.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the war's end, members of the NY26th Regiment United States Colored Troops reenacting group will set up “a whole outdoor museum of the Civil War” at Maple Grove Cemetery this Sunday, according to Carl Ballenas, president of the Friends of Maple Grove.
The group, which focuses on the experience of African American soldiers, will be dressed up in Civil War uniforms.
Locals will be encouraged to talk with the reenactors, who will set up 13 tents and discuss what life was like for soldiers during the war, Ballenas said.
At a mock recruitment station, kids will get Civil War caps, called kepis, and wooden rifles. Once "enlisted," they “will be drilled to fight in the war to end slavery and save the Union,” the organizers said in a statement.
During the free full-day event at the cemetery, known for its educational programs, the group will also lead a parade with the Color Guard to visit several burial sites of Civil War veterans, including John Sutphin for whom nearby Sutphin Boulevard was named, the organizers said.
Actors will also be playing Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery to join the abolitionist movement.
Kids will get a chance to participate in a handkerchief doll workshop. During the Civil War, the organizers said, dolls were often made from handkerchiefs, so that girls could easily carry them around.
Locals are invited to dress in Victorian period clothing, which they can borrow from the organizers.
The free event will take place on Sunday, June 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information email info@friendsofmaplegrove.org or call (347) 878 6614. Free parking is available in the cemetery through the entrances at 127-15 Kew Gardens Road and Queens Blvd.
