Quite possibly the biggest event ever held in the town, the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg kicks off Friday June 28, 2013.
Excitement for the big event is growing, and so are the crowds. “We’re one day out of the biggest event at least in our history. Here in Gettysburg Pennsylvania we’re expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors over the course of the next ten days,” said Norris Flowers, President of the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’re expecting over 250,000 people over the course total of the next ten days. Some of those days will have 30,000 plus people a day in the community.”
The event will also be bringing in a lot of money. “We’re expecting $100 million in economic impact over these next ten days. So it’s a huge deal for all of us,” said Flowers.
Organizers say there is something for everyone. “There’s over 500 events in Gettysburg over the course of the next ten days. Major battle re enactments, dedications, major events, there’s something for everybody,” said Flowers.
Barbara Day is a re-enactor from Detroit Michigan, she is visiting the battlefield for the first time. “I’ve been doing living history for 13 years with my husband. This is very exciting for me I was excited to come here in the first place,” said Day. “But to actually see the battlefields, there’s so much energy here. You can really feel it. I didn’t know how much I would feel standing up here, but I do feel an awful lot.”
John Miller is a history buff too. He travelled 1,200 miles from Minnesota to catch the anniversary. “A deal like this doesn’t come around very often. 150 years, you want to be here for this one. This is a big event,” said Miller. “[Standing on the battlefield] it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and gives you shivers you know just to see it.”
The 150th Anniversary kicks off Friday and runs through July 7th.
For more information and a schedule of events click here