Attendance down at re-enactment

Published 8:15 pm Monday, September 8, 2008

Despite sunny weather and high interest in local Civil War history, attendance at last weekend’s Battle of Tunnel Hill was down about 500 spectators and some 300 re-enactors compared to 2007, officials said.

Janet Cochran, president of the Tunnel Hill Historical Foundation, chalked up the decline to high gasoline prices and the upcoming 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19-21. In 2007, there were about 1,900 attendees and approximately 800 re-enactors for the Tunnel Hill re-enactment. This year, there were about 1,400 attendees and some 500 re-enactors. On Friday, there were 750 school children, their teachers and chaperones at the battlefield to get a taste of life during the Civil War.

“We had more people than we thought we did judging by our gate receipts,” Cochran said. “It wasn’t down as much as it may have looked. The place is spread out, so some are in the tunnel, some are down at the Heritage Center, some are down at the battlefield.”

She noted that many attendees drove more than 50 miles to the battlefield, with some tourists coming from as far as Austria and Germany. Cochran said despite the low turnout, it was “a good crowd.”

“It happens from time to time, and with the economy how it is and with the Battle of Chickamauga we feel really good about the event,” Cochran said. “We knew folks were having to choose between the two events, so it was not unexpected, but it was better than what we anticipated.”

Cochran said the foundation hasn’t held a meeting to determine the financial impact of the weekend, which is one of the foundation’s primary fundraisers.

Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend and speak at the Battle of Chickamauga opening ceremony on Sept. 19. Cheney’s great-grandfather, Capt. Samuel Fletcher Cheney of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, served in the battle. For information on the Battle of Chickamauga, visit the Web site www.battleofchickamauga.net.