The weekend of May 31 – June 3 will be filled with activities of family-friendly events commemorating the 157th anniversary of the first land battle of the Civil War fought on June 3, 1861 on the streets of then Philippi, VA.

Today’s Philippi, WV will be teeming with annual visitors to the events set for Thursday afternoon through the culminating reenactment of that first battle on Sunday, June 3 at 2:00 pm on Philippi’s Main Street. Confederate and Union troops will gather to prepare for this historically researched reenactment as weekend visitors to Philippi will be taking part in a wide variety of activities.

From skirmishes and the annual Sunday reenactment to the annual community choir Saturday concert to Friday’s Walking History Day to Saturday’s 5k race and 3.5 mile kayak race to free live music on the Courthouse Gazebo each of the days of the Reunion to the annual parade on Friday to a quilt show in The Market Place to visits by the historical characters Harriet Tubman and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Courthouse tours to a corn hole tournament to the Saturday Civil War Ball on Main Street to a traditional 1800s church service on Sunday morning to traditional crafts and food vendors. The complete schedule for each of the four days with times and locations can be accessed from www.blueandgrayreunion.org. The complete schedule is also printed in the supplement to the May 30 issue of The Barbour Democrat in addition to appearing in area newspapers and the Value Guide.