Soldiers of the past
The capstone program for a series of events commemorating Minnesota’s connection with the Civil War 150 years ago will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.
“Civil War Homecoming” will include an evening of songs and stories to capture the moment in history when surviving Minnesota’s soldiers returned to their home state when the war concluded. The sequence of events, which coincided with their return during the first few months of 1865, included President Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration, the abolition of slavery, Lincoln’s assassination and the Union celebrating its Civil War victory.
“This event will largely wrap up what has been a four-year commitment to explore the lessons and legacy of the war,” said Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, who co-chairs the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force along with Mark Ritchie in a press release. “A primary focus of this sesquicentennial observance has been to share the stories and the culture of the 1860s and this signature program is geared toward that objective.”
Featured performers will include Dan Chouinard, Kevin Kling, Maria Jette, T. Mychael Rambo, Prudence Johnson, Annette Atkins, Gwen Westerman, Eric Jacobson, Patricia Bauer, David Geister, Ritchie, Urdahl, members of the Roe Family Singers, the Brass Messengers and more.
“Civil War Homecoming brings together some of the Minnesota’s best musicians and storytellers to transport the audience back to the state during the dramatic final days of the American Civil War and to offer a glimpse at life in the post-war years,” said Randal Dietrich, a Civil War specialist from the Minnesota Historical Society, in a press release.
The show is sponsored by Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Historical Society and the Civil War Commemoration Task Force. Tickets are $23 or $28 and may be purchased in person at The Fitzgerald Theater box office (10 E. Exchange St.), by calling 1 1-800-514-3849 or at www.etix.com. Members of Minnesota Public Radio or the Minnesota Historical Society receive $3 off each ticket.