Local history buffs will have a chance to step back in time April 24-25, as the Confederate Memorial Park, located at 437 County Road 63 in Mountain Creek, will host its “Civil War Living History Program.”

The event allows visitors to the park to get an up close look at life during the Civil War, said Bill Rambo, site director for CMP.

“This is our annual outreach,” he said. “Most other days, the park is passive, where people come and enjoy the beauty of the site. This one weekend we have actors on site (and you) kind of see what the men who are buried here went through.”

The Living History Program is a two-day event that offers students and adults alike the opportunity to see what living during the Civil War era was like, Rambo said.

“A lot of people have gone to reenactments, and the visitors’ area is far away,” he said. “Whereas, the Living History Program is here to explain the details of life in the 1860s.”

Actors in the LHP will demonstrate activities such as infantry life, soldier’s equipment, music and civilian life, among others, Rambo said.

The Friday session allows students to come to the park and interact with the actors in the LHP, Rambo said.

“Friday is a big day,” he said. “The public’s invited, but most folks are working. Visitation to the museum is restricted to the school groups.”

Saturday will be provide those in attendance a chance to witness what a Civil War battle resembled in a close setting, Rambo said.

“Generally, reenactments are bigger, but the larger they are, the crowd’s farther away,” he said. “We have a ground that’s naturally an amphitheater, so the crowd can get close and still be safe, and it’s shady.”

While some reenactments can see participants in the hundreds, Rambo said the LHP’s skirmish kept the battle intimate.

“Last year we had around 60 (participants)” he said. “In our space, it’s confined and they fit nicely.”

Rambo also said the price for museum admission will be cut to $2 during the LHP.

For more information, contact the park at 755-1990, or visit Confederatepark.com.