Sesquicentennial events on tap this weekend

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

Civil War Sesquicentennial events abound this weekend in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

A "150 Years Ago...on This Day" tour highlighting the First Battle of Winchester begins at 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation website.

The battle was part of Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign, the site states.

Those interested can meet at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center and Civil War Orientation Center, 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester.

A car caravan will stop at important battlefield sites, and will be followed by a trip to the Stonewall Jackson Headquarters Museum, the website states.

Ticket price is $10. For more information, call 636-0702.

Friday evening, Jonathan A. Noyalas, author, assistant history professor and the director of the Center for Civil War History at Lord Fairfax Community College, will lead a "History at Sunset" presentation at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, according to the battlefields foundation website.

The program, which starts at 7 p.m., will include a trip to Bower's Hill, the site states. For more information, call 869-3051.

Those interested in the Battle of Front Royal, can take an "enhanced" driving tour starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the website. There will be living history demonstrations during the free tour.

The tour starts at the Front Royal-Warren County Visitors Center, 414 E. Main St., and is sponsored by the Warren County Sesquicentennial Committee, the site states. For more information, call 636-0702.

There are also commemorative events taking place in Staunton and West Augusta, according to the foundation site.