40,000 Canadians fought for Confederate and Union forces
LONG SAULT — Fiddles and pipes will help bring honour and remembrance on those thousands of Canadians who fought on both sides of the American Civil War, at a fundraiser event this Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Township of South Stormont Community Centre.
The Celtic concert is in support of The Civil War Monument Project — a granite memorial now being erected at the Lost Villages Museum at the behest of the Lost Villages Historical Society and the Grays & Blues of Montreal, a U.S. Civil War re-enactment group. The concert runs 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 2 Milles Roches Rd. in Long Sault.
The new monument recognizes the contributions of over 40,000 Canadians who served either in the Union or Confederate armed forces during the 1860s Civil War. Construction on the monument is well underway with the unveiling ceremony set for Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. in Ault Park at the Lost Villages Museum, South Stormont. The site faces County Rd. 2.
This Saturday’s event will feature The Pipes and Drums of the SDG Highlanders, local fiddlers, pianists, Gaelic singers, highland dancers, local band Fridge Full of Empties as well as a silent auction, dessert bar and a cash bar.
Tickets are available at the Lost Villages Museum in South Stormont (open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) and ScotiaBank on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall. Ticket prices are $5 for youth ages 13-17, and $15 for adults. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
Lost Villages Historical Society President Jim Brownell speaks about the monument project in a YouTube video, below, that accompanies a crowd-funding campaign for the initiative.
An artist’s impression of the completed monument, as promoted on The Grays and Blues of Montreal website.