“This certainly won’t be your average concert in the park,” said foundation President Bob Hileman Jr. in describing the concert to be held Saturday evening, August 4, at the amphitheater in Reservoir Park in Tyrone. “It is our pleasure to offer a memorable evening of performances by outstanding local talent and a duo from Virginia,” he said.
The 46th Pennsylvania Regiment Band, recognized by many as The Logan Guard, will begin the concert with several Civil War songs that most will easily recognize. These outstanding musicians, playing period instruments, permit listeners to experience this music played just the way it was for soldiers as they marched or gathered together around the campfire.
“Mere words can’t begin to describe the vocal talents of Eileen Kough Mitchell or the instrumental gifts of Richard Merryman, who will accompany her on keyboard,” Hileman stated.
While they will perform songs probably heard before, their performance of these Civil War era tunes will bring both enjoyment and a new appreciation for the music loved by people of that time in America.
The Civil War duo of Dr. John Tole, and his wife Judy, from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia add a unique flavor to the concert. Performing together as Evergreen Shade, their program will include songs that are perhaps not as well known to the general public. They accompany themselves on 6 and 12 string guitars, banjo, and a variety of percussion instruments.
Hileman stated, “This is the duo’s first appearance in central Pennsylvania and we are indeed fortunate to have them with us for the entire weekend.”
They will also perform hymns at the camp church service to be held at the encampment in Reservoir Park Sunday morning, August 5, at 9:30 a.m.
“What a wonderful way to end the day!” Hileman said.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is by donation to The Colonel Crowther Foundation.
The Colonel Crowther Foundation has a full weekend of events planned for Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5 at Reservoir Park in Tyrone.
The Tyrone Borough Council has declared Saturday, August 4 to be Colonel Crowther Day in the borough. The Crowther family was one of the founding families of Tyrone. Colonel James Crowther was a councilman in those early years and was in office as the third Burgess of the young community when the Civil War began. During that war he commanded the 110th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers until killed in action at Chancellorsville, Virginia on May 3, 1863.
The Colonel Crowther Foundation is a Civil War education organization. Its mission is to create a living heritage environment where preservation is enhanced by demonstration and education. This special weekend is dedicated to providing the public with a window into the past. Living historians will re-create many aspects of Camp Crossman, a camp of rendezvous and training that existed outside of Huntingdon in the fall of 1861. Then Captain James Crowther and the men who formed the Tyrone Cavalry were the first to arrive at this camp.
