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Alex Arpino put on his "serious face" Saturday for a photographyou don't want to smile when you're wearing a Civil War uniform and holding a rifle. The 4-year-old had serious questions, too. He wanted to know if you could knock over a stone wall with the gun.
Well, no, said John Turchick, captain of the 11th Regiment Volunteer Infantry. You might damage it, but it would still stand.
Education was a major part of "A Taste of History: Civil War," held by the Norwalk Historical Society on the grounds of Mill Hill Historic Park. Turchick, an NHS member, and Brian Shay of Tuckahoe, N.Y., answered a lot of questions about their reproductions of .58 caliber 1861 Springfield rifled muskets, including how heavy they were. (Nine pounds, but the originals were lighter.)
About a dozen restaurants donated food to the event, a fundraiser. Organizers are hoping to restore a Civil War statue that was erected in 1889 by Union Army veterans to serve as a memorial for 32 Civil War soldiers whose families could not afford a "proper burial." The zinc statue (nicknamed "Chester") stood on a granite base at Riverside Cemetery until vandals pulled it off in 2002.
David Westmoreland, NHS president, said he won't know how much the restoration will cost until conservators give the group an estimate, but he guesses it's between $25,000 and $40,000. The group was hoping to raise $10,000 with the event, which was designed to make history "fun."
Tom Arbron, a 13-year resident of Norwalk and a new member of the NHS, came up with the idea of an encampment/food festival. He thinks Norwalkers should band together to fight the vandalism and show respect for its Civil War soldiers. "We need to stand together and join forces as a community to recover the importance of our history," he said, adding "C'mon Norwalk, let's get it right."
The NHS made full use of its grounds, with an exhibit of Brian Kammerer's Civil War art in the Little Red Schoolhouse and a quilting demonstration in the Town House. Visitors wandered the cemetery as well.
Visitors voted on the best food at the event. NHS member Marcia Powell reports that Jeff's Cuisine took first place, and second place was a tie between Barcelona Wine Bar and Dry Dock. "Several voters wrote on their ballot that they voted for Dry Dock because its Navy Bean Soup came from an authentic Civil War recipe," she said.
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