Hometown Hall

July 22nd will mark the 144th Anniversary of the historic Civil War Battle of Atlanta. To commemorate the important event, the neighborhoods in Atlanta’s 5th Council District have teamed up to organize B*ATL on the weekend of July 18th-20th. The battlefield is actually in these neighborhoods where people live and work and play today. This will not only be an event of remembrance but also one with fun for everyone including: a Gala Dinner and House Tour, a 5K run, Van and Walking Tours, a re-creation of the Frontlines with Re-enactment Soldiers and artillery, a Civil War Village with civilian re-enactors, historic music concerts and dramatic performances, shopping and dining in East Atlanta and Kirkwood and more.

Friday evening will feature the B*ATL Gala with a dinner, libations and entertainment at Kemp Castle, a home that began near historic Kennesaw Mountain and traveled to East Lake in southeast Atlanta. Dinner at this Urban Design Commission Award Winning home celebrates the early 20th century rural life as well as adaptive preservation in modern urban Atlanta. The 4th Annual BATL DoubleQuick 5K Race sponsored by East Lake Family YMCA will kick off Saturday’s events drawing runners from across Georgia to traverse the battleground in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Tickets for the Gala and registration for the DoubleQuick can be arranged online at www.batlevent.org.

Van tours will be offered again this year all day on Saturday following the path of The Battle of Atlanta. A new van tour tracing General MdPherson’s last ride and visiting important railroad sites has been added this year. There also will be walking tours along the battle lines. All of the tours will highlight interesting facts and personal stories about the events that took place in the fateful battle. Tickets are available from various intown locations before the event and at 470 Flat Shoals Avenue. There is also a limited free Civil War tour of Oakland Cemetery and limited free tours of nearby Cyclorama, the circular painting of the epic battle. The Oakland and Cyclorama Tours will also be offered on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations for the free tours will be at B*ATL ticket locations. Again this year the Sylvester Cemetery Foundation will be offering tours of its historic 1842 burial ground.

Civil War re-enactors will be positioned in a recreated front line trenchwork to tell stories of their days in the war, The boom of cannonfire and the sounds of Fife and Drum will add to the scene with live demonstrations and performances. There will be a wreath laying ceremony by BATL’s Living History Soldiers at the General Walker Monument on Glenwood at I-20 at 11am. There will also be a wreath laying at the General McPherson Monument at 3pm. Both Generals lost their lives during the Battle of Atlanta.

The East Atlanta Village, which hugs the Flat Shoals Ave. and Glenwood Ave. intersection, will be the site of a Civil War Village throughout the day. Catch a hilarious performance of Gone With the Wind in just twenty minutes, Hear tales of Civil War Ghosts and other tales from that time in a the BATL Storytelling Festival. Attend a free concert by Atlanta’s Sacred Harp Singers and BATL’s Union Fiddler. There will also be performances from a period dance troop, The 1860s Civilian Society of Georgia with authentic music and attire Or later in the evening visitors can watch a movie under the stars at Screen at The Village Green. There will be civilian re-enactors demonstrating the crafts and trades of 1864 throughout the day.

Along Glenwood there will be a Civil War to Civil Rights Timeline with Living History Re-enactors sharing their stories of their times in history.

Tickets for the Gala, and B*ATL tours can be purchased in the East Atlanta Village at East Atlanta Ace Hardware, and Traders Store as well as Oakland Cemetery and Donna Van Gogh’s in Lake Claire-Candler Park. For more information, go to
www.batlevent.org.

The Oakland Cemetery Foundation, The East Lake Family YMCA, Sylvester Cemetery Foundation, and The Atlanta Preservation Center are assisting the B*ATL committee representing the various neighborhood associations.

B*ATL is raising money to erect and maintain National Park-like display signs across the battlefield area to augment existing historic markers. The new signs would have graphics and maps to involve readers more and provide a 365-day-a-year Battle of Atlanta experience for visitors as well as area residents. The first sign will appear soon at the East Atlanta Library.

Additional information is available at www.batlevent.org or by calling 404-377-6148.

Contact: Henry Bryant 404-377-6148 or hbryant@mindspring.com.