GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- Gettysburg is preparing to fire the first cannon rounds at the 152nd anniversary battle reenactment being held this weekend, despite being postponed in July.
"We had a good weekend in July even though the reenactment didn't happen and now we have a chance to have another big weekend, Carl Whitehill with Destination Gettysburg said. "So there's a really good opportunity here for us to maximize tourism and bring more money into the county."
He said Gettysburg can expect to see thousands of tourists this weekend and could bring the town an excess of $10 million. "It's a big weekend, a lot of businesses rely on reenactment weekend for their livelihood," Whitehill said.
The event was originally scheduled for July 1-3, but was postponed due to soggy fields and rainy weather.
People from around the globe will converge on Gettysburg this weekend. One reenactor from Orlando, Florida said he wouldn't miss an event like this one.
"I personally had relatives on both sides, 17 from the north and 13 from the south, and I'm honoring all of them, what they did to establish who we are today," reenactor Clay Kearney said.
Kearney, who has been reenacting for about ten years, reflected on the actual history he portrays. "That was a pretty horrific time in our country's growth, I like to look at as the north and the south, that was 625,000 men who died really to define our country," he said.
Kearney is representing the Florida brigade and will portray a Confederate Major in Gettysburg. "I love time travel. The things we experience, the hot and the cold, the misery, the bugs, the long marches, the lack of water it brings us all together."
Kearney gave a rough estimate on how many people he expects to participate in the battle with him. "I think it'll be 100 north and 100 south and we will do the best we can to put on a good show for the people," he said.
Events officially kick off Friday morning . For the schedule of events, click here.