BLACK FOREST TO BE HUB OF ACTIVITY

Civil War re-enactors, their horses, tents and equipment, along with some family members, filled the glade Friday evening at Black Forest Village near Cape Girardeau.

The re-enactors will highlight the festivities today and Sunday at the fifth annual Black Forest Craftfest, which is part of the Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive this weekend.

Eric Matthews of Patton, a coordinator of the Civil War camps, is expecting about 300 re-enactors. He thinks there will be more than 60 cavalry horsemen, 11 artillery pieces and about 100 infantry men representing both Confederate and Union forces.

Matthews, 21, has been involved in re-enacting for nine years. He portrays a Confederate member of Company C of the 7th Missouri Cavalry, which is led by Capt. Ron Tinsley of Fredericktown, the other coordinator for the Civil War program this weekend.

Company C was originally formed in Bloomfield and was called the Stoddard County Rangers.

Matthews started re-enacting in Texas with a cavalry unit. He went to an artillery unit, back to cavalry and now is trying his hand at mounted artillery.

A history major in college who is studying radiation technology, Matthews said the re-enactments are living history. He attends about 10 to 12 events each year. He thinks it would cost between $2,500 and $3,500 to become really involved in re-enacting.

"I can't describe the amount of fun involved," Matthews said. "There won't be any better friends anywhere."

Mark White of Lee's Summitt drove over six hours to participate. He is the commanding 1st lieutenant of Erwin's 6th Missouri Infantry. He expects about 15 members to participate this weekend.

White, 37, started re-enacting three years ago at the insistence of a friend at his church.

"At Lone Jack, they put the wool on me and put a musket in my hand, and I was hooked," White said. "I like the outdoors. I find a lot of camaraderie in the activity. It gets in your blood."

White said he enjoys going onto the battlefield, calling the orders and doing it like the soldiers did during the war. "Looking good on the field is a reward in itself," he said.

Beverly Whitmore of Miller City, Ill., called the re-enactment a "great family activity." She said it allows her husband and herself to spend time with their 17-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter.

The men belong to the 7th Kentucky Infantry, based out of Wickcliffe, which includes members from Cape Girardeau and Charleston.

The re-enactors' camp will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday. Battles are planned for 2 p.m. each day.

Admission to Black Forest Villages will be $2 for adults; children under 12 will be admitted free. About 70 arts and crafts booths will be set up at Black Forest Villages.

Another phase of this year's scenic tour is an open house and tours at the Capetown Safari exotic animal park and a visit to the Pleasant Grove Church near Brazeau. Drivers to the animal park will not have to pay for the tour while there will be a fee for any passengers in a vehicle.

The approximately 150-mile scenic drive will take visitors through Brazeau, Altenburg, Frohna and Wittenburg, site of an 1839 German migration and settlement. A historic cookie contest and quilt show are among events to be held Saturday at Frohna.

Trail of Tears State Park and Museum, which reflects on the tragic relocation of the Cherokee Indians, is also on the route. Other noteworthy stops include the scenic villages of Sedgewickvile, Patton and Marble Hill.

Scenic-drive participants will see Bollinger Mill, a working mill on the banks of the Whitewater River, and the nearby Little Ole Opry, where there will be a fiddle contest Saturday at 1 p.m. Other attractions include the St. Louis Iron Mountain Railway working steam train and historic houses in Jackson and Cape Girardeau.