First Stanford History Day this weekend

STANFORD — The center of Stanford will  bustle with campers, musicians and military personnel Saturday, July 17. Don’t be surprised if they all look like they’re from the 19th century.

Several re-enactment groups will be the centerpiece of Saturday’s Stanford History Day, the first ever, according to event organizer and town Supervisor Virginia Stern, but hopefully not the last.

“Stanford has some pretty interesting history, varied history,� Stern said. “Many people have moved to town over the last decade and they might not necessarily know about the history of the town they live in. So it’s an event to engage the people in town to learn a little bit of the area’s history.�

Certainly the re-enactment groups will draw the most attention. There are three: two infantry units and one group of balladeers to sing old Civil War songs.

A first group, the 150th New York Infantry, will be arriving in town this Friday at 5:30 p.m. and will be pitching tents and sleeping on the green in front of the town’s Grange overnight. They will be in character the entire time, similar to the idea of historical villages, and people can come up and ask questions.

There are plenty of other activities for Saturday as well, including:

•A reading of original poems about Stanford and the town’s history that is open to participation from the public.

•Old-fashioned children’s games like jump-roping, rhymes and potato-sack races.

 â€¢A living history on the Attlebury Schoolhouse from one of the last students to attend; it’s one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in the county.

•A one-woman show portraying Harriet Tubman. As Stern explained, a few houses in Stanford are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad.

“We’re hoping to engage people with the idea that our little town played a role in the Civil War, played a role in the history of the economy of New York state and really has a lot that we can all be proud of,� Stern said.

Front and center to Stanford History Day will be  tables offering history of the town, which was founded in 1793 after separating from the nearby town of Washington.

The entire day, which runs from 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, is free to the public, thanks to funding from the town as well as donations from local groups and private citizens. Many volunteers will be helping out throughout the day as well. The Stanford Grange will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers, and an old-fashioned pastry sale is in the works as well.

The following is a schedule of events for Stanford History Day, to be held Saturday, July 17 in the center of Stanfordville, near the Grange building on Route 82 in Stanfordville:

9:30 to 10:15 a.m.: 150th New York Infantry re-enactment

10:30 to 11 a.m.: Poetry reading

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: 5th New Y ork  ‘Duryee’s Zouaves’ re-enactment in full-color regalia

12:30 to 1 p.m.: Children’s games and musket drill with the 150th NY Infantry

1:15 to 2 p.m.: 77th New York Balladeers — Civil War music

2:15 to 3 p.m.: Harriet Tubman presentation

3:15 to 3:45 p.m.: 150th New York Infantry re-enactment

4 to 5:30 p.m.: 77th New York Balladeers sing period songs plus children’s sing-a-long and cakewalk

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