Butte College

October 20-21, 2001

return to Calendar of Events

return to 20th Maine Homepage

Click on thumbnail to see a larger version of the Butte site map

This is an RACW event with promise.  Please go to the RACW homepage for updated info on the event.  NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED!

Schedule of Activities

Directions

FROM HIGHWAY 70 HEADED NORTH: proceed along hwy 70 passed Oroville and the highway 149 turnoff to Chico, turning North on highway 191 towards Butte College and Paradise. Drive North 3.5 miles to and through the intersection of the Durham-Pentz Road and go another .4 miles and turn left at the Butte College entrance. Go .2 miles and turn left at the horse corral gate, which is the re-enactor entrance, follow gravel road into site.

FROM HIGHWAY 99 HEADED NORTH: proceed along highway 99 north passed the highway 149 turnoff to Oroville. Take the Durham-Pentz Road exit. Go east, proceed 4 miles (pass the south entrance to the college) to the stop sign which is highway 191 (Clark Road). Turn left onto 191, proceed another .4 miles and turn left at the Butte College north entrance. Go .2 miles and turn left at the horse corral gate, which is the re-enactor entrance, follow

gravel road into site.

FROM HIGHWAY 99 HEADED SOUTH: proceed south through Chico along highway 99, take the Durham-Pentz Road exit. Go east, proceed 4 miles (pass the south entrance to the college) to the stop sign which is highway 191 (Clark Road). Turn left onto 191, proceed another .4 miles and turn left at the Butte College north entrance. Go .2 miles and turn left at the horse corral

gate, which is the re-enactor entrance, follow gravel road into site.

Event Specifics

NOTE: this is not edited by webmaster and is in no particular order

Once again the cannons roar and rifle volleys echo through the rustic countryside. Broken by woods and meandering streams, the new mown hay fields of the Butte College Farm become the battlefields of 1863 Virginia.

October 20-21, 2001 marks the return of Civil War Days at Butte Community College. This event will close the RACW 2001 calendar as the Harvest Ball, usually held in November will be held at Butte College on Saturday evening. See related story.

The site affords good campsites with easy access to water and the "necessaries". Hot showers will be available on Saturday evening after the last battle. The camps, though secluded from each other are close together and easy for spectators to reach after crossing a wooden footbridge separating the 19th from the 21st centuries. The Butte College Foundation, our sponsor, will set up some food vendors on the 21st century side of the bridge. This is hidden by a copse of trees and cannot be seen from the event site.

Butte Farm could not be better designed to support living history. All spectators will funnel directly through the sutler and township area as they enter to site. The Confederate camps will be only several hundred feet further away on the right while Federal camps are only a few hundred feet away but out of site on the left.

Our large awning will be set up in the township area with hay bale seating to give a central location to living history presentations which may include civilian life and crafts, medical demonstration, musicals interludes, etc. Butte College officials have stated they expect to draw from seven to ten thousand spectators over the two-day event.

There will be a program of speakers between the battles featuring, Abraham Lincoln, and Fredrick Douglas as well as or very own Miss Tracy Shapiro. If you have not heard Miss Tracy's talk, "What she wore and why it killed her", make sure you don't miss it. Reports are that the 5th Regimental Band will be in the area on Sunday, as well as Marty Sampson's California Fife and Drum Corps, and possibly even some bag pipers to support the ACWA's 79th Highlanders.

This is our second year at this site and it promises to be bigger than last year. The ACWA event that was scheduled for the same weekend has been cancelled. The ACWA has endorsed their members attending the Butte college event.

Camp set up can begin Thursday afternoon. All vehicles must be out of the site and in the parking area by 7:00 Saturday morning and will not be allow back until close of public hours on Sunday.  Reenactor parking will be close. RV parking is available, but you must call ahead to reserve a spot, otherwise you take your chances on available reenactor parking area.  Sorry, these RV spots do not have any 'hook-ups'.  A 'Farb Village' for modern camping will be set up next to the dirt parking lot and out of sight.

If possible try to avoid driving into the site to set up. The roads are dirt, narrow and easily torn up. If you are traveling light it is not hard to walk in. If you cannot walk in, plan to drop your stuff and move out your vehicle as quickly as possible.

The Butte Farm is a nature preserve and is home to several endangered species! Be prepared to treat the area with respect and care. We are on probation at this. We will need to police camps and fields and rake up straw at the end of the event. Firewood will be supplied. Do not gather downed wood and try to keep yourself and kids out of the stream areas. NO DOGS ALLOWED!

Free showers in the men and women's locker rooms across campus will be

available Saturday night from 3 to 7pm. You must bring your own towel and soap.  Water, firewood, straw and hay will be provided.

The college food service will be selling food outside the 1860's gate on

Saturday and Sunday and will be selling beer and wine at the Ball Saturday

night. The cost of the Ball is $10 for non-RACW members. Price includes

dinner of tri-tip/chicken, potato salad, beans and roll, and the ball with

a period brass band. Food is served from 6pm to 7:30pm. The ball is from

7:30 to 10:00pm. The Ball will be held at the student center, a short walk or

very short drive, through campus. If you intend to eat and attend the

Ball you must notify us by Oct. 15th so that we can let the food service know

how many to plan on.

Special presenters for the weekend: President Lincoln and his wife, Mr.

Fredrick Douglas, Mr. Walt Whitman, Miss Tracy, and the 5th Regimental

Brass Band.

At this time there is no theme or particular historical battles planned

for the event.

Sutlers may arrive and set up on Thursday Oct. 18th.

Re-enactors may arrive and set up on Friday Oct. 19th.

All re-enactors must be gone by Sunday night Oct. 21st.

We are expecting 7,000 to 9,000 spectators over the two days.

Everyone must be aware and sensitive to the fact that this site is a

working farm and environmental habitat for wild animals. Therefore,

NO Dogs will be allowed on site.

The college is concerned about our impact on the area so we must make a

special effort to stay out of the areas marked for no admittance,

clean up after ourselves and to be polite, respectful guests.

Hotels

NEAREST MOTEL: five miles north into Paradise.

Best Inns & Suites 1-800-237-8466 or 530-876-0191

5475 Clark Road, Paradise

This is a new hotel with 62 rooms, 3 stories and an elevator!

*TELL THEM YOU'RE WITH THE BUTTE COLLEGE CIVIL WAR EVENT AND YOU WILL GET A DISCOUNT!  2 people, 1 bed is $58.50 (with disc.) 2 people, 2 beds is $62.10 (with discount)

Second Choice: Lantern Motel 530-877-5553

5799 Wildwood Lane, Paradise

There are others, including Oroville, which is a little farther away. You

can look them up in the phone book or Triple A.

Restaurants

Nearest restaurants are five miles north into Paradise.

Casa de Paradiso (Mexican) 5667 Clark Road

Taco Bell - 5859 Clark Road

Round Table Pizza - 6038 Clark Road

Subway Sandwich - 658 Pearson Road

Foster's Old Fashioned Freeze - 646 Pearson Road

Izzy's Burger Spa - 460 Pearson Road

Smokey Mountain Steak House - 7039 Skyway

Harvest Ball Information

by Monte Sidenstricker

We are adding something new to the event this year. Butte College, has offered to co-sponsor the Harvest Ball. It is to be held Saturday evening in the Food Service area on the campus and will be open to all re-enactors, their families and spectators. Dinner will begin at 6pm.and will include BBQ tri-tips, chicken, assorted salads and drinks. In addition, a no host bar featuring beer and wine will be available. Period music and dancing will be from 8pm to 10pm or longer.

Similar to our highly successful street dance last July at McCloud, the Harvest Ball will be open to the general public. The public will be encouraged but not required to wear 19th century costumes. The 5th Regimental Brass Band will provide the evening's music and a dance master has been engaged to help us through the complexities of 19th century dance movements. Even if you have never danced before, you will find that the dance master will have you 'reeling' with the most expert and veteran dancers. If you haven't attended a ball before, attending a ball now will give you a chance to improve your period-knowledge while having a lot of fun!

I'm very pleased to be able to announce that the RACW will be paying half of the ticket costs for any "card carrying member" of the RACW. This will make the dinner and ball an affordable $5.00 per person. Sorry, all others will have to pay full ticket price of $10.00 per person. Children under 12 will be free.

I know we will all be grubby and sweaty, but the college will graciously open the shower rooms to everyone to take care of that concern. Remember though, you must bring your own towel and soap etc.The shower rooms are within walking distance of the camps, or a very short drive if you have been 'marched out' for the day.

This is a great opportunity for all club members to come together for an evening of good food, good fun and good fellowship. Remember, period dress is encouraged, but NOT REQUIRED. Brogans are welcome but we will have tape available if you wish to cover your heel plates. If you are planning to attend, then I ask you to notify your Company commanders or Representative and let them know how many you will be bringing. The cooks have asked this of us, as they need an estimated number to plan for. Motel and hotel rooms will be readily available in Paradise, Oroville and Chico. These cities are within 10 miles of the Butte Campus.

I hope to see you all there helping to make this years Ball a great success.

From Secretary Mary Hess (of the ACWA)

After an enjoyable talk with Dan Baldwin, RACW Vice-President, I now

have details available for the upcoming Butte College Event.  It sounds

like it is going to be a great event at a very interesting site and I

strongly encourage everyone to attend.

The battlefield area looks 19th century. There are woods on two or

three sides of it and a couple of creekbeds going through the area

(whether there is still water at this time of year is questionable).

The Union and Confederate camps will be about half a mile apart in the

woods with the civilians and sutlers situated between the two opposing

camps. The battlefield is essentially a mowed hayfield, giving somewhat of

a mowed lawn effect.

All the battles will be of a generic nature. Each club will have their

own camping area, although they will all be set next to each other.

Civilians may camp with our units. Our pipers are welcome.

There is FARB camping available, and RV sites (no hookups) IF you

let them know in advance that you are coming so they can save space for

your trailer.

Sutlers are welcome. Nita Newman has the name of the RACW sutler

coordinator. Contact her if you are a sutler and want to attend.

There is one potential problem due to high fire danger still.

Firewood will be supplied (I always bring a little extra just in case)

IF we are allowed to have fires. They are still working on this

detail. (I suggest planning for above ground fires until we hear

otherwise.) There is a town about a five minute drive from the site

with food, or we will work out some other cooking arrangements if fires

are not allowed in camp due to the fire danger.

Straw will be available for soldiers IF you make your needs known.

SHOWERS ARE AVAILABLE, within walking distance. The hardcore

groups may use the creek, but only lye soap is allowed. :-)

Water will be supplied by nearby hose bibs.

Cannon powder reimbursement is 100% for full scale pieces. Smaller

scale pieces are welcome to participate, but are on their own for powder

costs. (Maybe we can work something out between our big and smaller

scale pieces???)

There will be a formal dinner and ball on Saturday night. It is

within walking distance of our camps. The cost for the dinner and dance

is only $10. What a deal! The Culinary Class is preparing the dinner,

so they need reservation numbers ASAP so they can plan the menu and

order the food. Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm and dancing will most

likely start around 7:30. Live music will be supplied by the 15 piece

CA Fifth Regimental Band and they have a dance master available. This

dance is open to the public. While Civil War attire is encouraged, it

is not necessary to be dressed thus to attend the ball. Modern formal

attire will be allowed. Beer and wine will be available to buy at the

dinner. (Read this, decide how many in your family are going, call or

email me on it now, please. :-) )

On Friday night, and/or (still working on final details) Saturday

night there will be professional actors portraying the Lincoln-Douglas

debates. The band will be in the camps on Sunday.

Horses are allowed, but it will be up to each Brigade Commander as

to where to put them. Please do not bring your dogs though.

To set up camp, please drive in, offload and then remove your

vehicle before setting up camp.

ONE final item. This is a college campus set in a farm

environment. On this piece of property are environmentally sensitive

nature preserve areas. Those areas will be marked off. DO NOT drive,

even walk, or camp in the areas that are marked off. The roads to and

from the camps go through some of these areas. Please do not pull off

the roads, even to let others pass, in these sensitive areas. This may

take a little organization, but we can make it work.

I will act as the site coordinator for ACWA. Please call me at (530)

620-5017 or email to jhess@innercite.com with your dance reservations,

RV reservations, straw needs, or anything else you need to know about

this event.

Respectfully submitted by Mary Hess

return to Calendar of Events

return to 20th Maine Homepage