Thanks to a grant from the Harmon Foundation, students across the area will once again be able to enjoy Harmon Field Heritage Days free of charge. Friends of Harmon Field received a donation from the Harmon Foundation for Heritage Days.

Area schools will be invited to bring their students to this annual event on the fourth weekend of March. The event begins with the educational days Thursday and Friday, March 24 and 25. The public is invited to come to Harmon Field on Saturday and Sunday for all the activities that will be available. More information and a schedule will be posted closer to the event.

“Last year over 800 students participated in the two-day educational segment,” Lorna Dever, director of the event, reported. “We are hoping that teachers will once again bring their students to enjoy the activities we have planned this year. We hope to offer different things each year to make it interesting ongoing.”

The Second North Carolina Mounted Infantry helps organize the event with other Civil War reenactors throughout the Southeast.

“We will have reenactors here over the weekend from Columbus, Gastonia, Hickory, Catawba, Columbia and Walhalla,” David Smith, captain of the 2nd NCMI said. “This is one of the best local events I have had the fortune attending. The kids are great and the skirmish depicts an actual event that happened in Polk County at the close of the Civil War. I invite everyone to come to stroll through the camps and visit us, sit by our fire and enjoy fellowship with us and learn about their own history.”

Tryon Arts and Crafts School will join in the celebration of Heritage Days. During the week, students will have the opportunity to watch and participate in demonstrations in several era crafts. The school will open its studios for hands-on experiences in crafts including basketry, pottery, blacksmithing, woodworking, weaving and other fiber crafts. These crafts are a critical part of this region’s heritage and Tryon Arts and Crafts School will emphasize their significance since the 1800s. In addition, the school will have their annual Heritage Days Open House on Saturday. All studios will be open for demonstrations and exploration from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Carolina Horse and Carriage will be providing carriage rides throughout the weekend for a nominal fee. Enjoy a view of Harmon Field the way people would have enjoyed it in the 1800s.

Students will be invited to make displays for the Civil War Museum that will be open over the weekend for parents and the public to enjoy.

Area crafters are invited to display and sell their wares at the Civil War Craft Show. For more information on how to enter, call 828-894-3370 or e-mail fohf@serendipityrancher.com.