Living History April 2003

Phoenix, Arizona: To Arms!

Gear up for a weekend of cannon demos and Hollywood pyrotechnics. March 22-23, 2003, the Arizona Rough Riders will take up arms for the National Spanish American War Re-enactment. Watch a “Potato Digger” machine gun demonstration and learn about Rough Rider and Spanish uniforms. Then, see the Rough Riders in action as they relive the battles of Las Guasimas and San Juan Heights. It all takes place at the Pioneer Living History Museum; admission is $6.95 for adults, $5.95 for seniors and students, and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. For event details, call (928) 778-6155 or visit <www.sightpicture.com/AZ-RR/reenactment.htm>.

Dallas: Spring Greeting

How did Dallas residents prepare for summer in the 1860s? To find out, visit Old City Park: The Historical Village of Dallas April 12, 2003, for Plow, Plant and Shear, a spring ritual of “plowing fields, planting crops and shearing sheep.” Learn to card wool, churn butter and weave a simple mat. Watch the cook prepare dinner over an open hearth at the 1860s Living Farmstead, and see the blacksmith pound out farm implements and cooking utensils at his forge. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children. Call (214) 421-5141 or visit <www.oldcitypark.org>.

San Antonio, Texas: Mission Impossible

Step into the shoes of Sam Houston and Santa Anna March 8-9, 2003, as the San Antonio Living History Association remembers the fall of the Alamo. Enjoy historical music and dance, spinning and weaving, cannon and flintlock demonstrations, and narrated re-enactments of the 1836 conflict. “Remembering the Alamo” Weekend kicks off at 10 a.m. March 8, 2003, in Alamo Plaza. For more information about this free event, call (210) 273-1730 or visit <www.sanantoniolivinghistory.org/events.html>.

Scottsdale, Ariz.: A Rootin’ Tootin’ Good Time

Saddle up, cowboys and cowgirls, for the 13th annual Bison Communities National Festival of the West, March 13-16, 2003. Get a taste of the American West — and chuck wagon stew — at this family event, which features costume contests, Western music and movies, cowboy poetry, mounted shooting competitions, historical re-enactments and a retail show with more than 250 vendors selling art and cowboy collectibles. This year’s festival pays special tribute to the “Cowboy Balladeers.” For festival details and admission prices, call (602) 996-4387 or visit <www.festivalofthewest.com>.

From the April 2003 issue of Family Tree Magazine.