The sound and smell of black powder, the courtly presence of Abraham Lincoln, the taste of fresh-baked pies and the goods of 40 crafters all created the atmosphere of an old-fashioned country fair and picnic last weekend at the United Methodist campground in Des Plaines.
The event, the 34th annual fund-raiser for the 137-year-old campground, also featured a festive antebellum repeat wedding for campground residents Billie and Ed Clifford. The Cliffords, who live at the campground from May to October and in Willow Springs all winter, dressed in pre-Civil War fashion to repeat their vows under the guidance of retired Methodist Pastor Claude Dotson, himself a campground resident.
”All of us on the committee thought it (a wedding) would be fun,” the bride said as she maneuvered her hoop skirt through a doorway. She added that the couple`s first wedding 30 years ago was a small one, attended only by their parents.
The Civil War theme was carried out by about 30 Union and Confederate Civil War re-enactors from four Chicago suburban units. Union cavalrymen from the 8th Illinois Cavalry were joined by infantrymen from the 10th Illinois Volunteers and the 1st Michigan Engineers. They were opposed by members of the 154th Tennessee Infantry.
Ann Bradley, a campground resident and member of the event`s organizing committee, said the goal of the fundraiser was to raise $5,000 for care and maintenance of the historic buildings on the site, including a round tabernacle where famous evangelists, including Billy Sunday, once preached.
Bradley said the campground originally began as a site for tent revivals along the Des Plaines River. Permanent summer homes were built on the site beginning in the 1870s. She said approximately 80 families now occupy the 93 cottages during the summer months. ”It has the appeal of an old country town and good Christian fellowship,” she said.
The campground is open to public visitors during the summer and has a small historical museum and a resale shop, which is open with volunteer help twice each month, Bradley added.
