While he may never have set foot in the county that bears his name, Button Gwinnett’s decision to sign the Declaration of Independence and help forge a new nation impacted all those who have called Gwinnett County home.
Join the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) as it celebrates the county’s namesake at the Let Freedom Ring: Button Gwinnett Living History Festival on Sunday, March 26, 2017, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. The event is a collaboration with the Button Gwinnett Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Gwinnett Historical Society.
The festival highlights the late 1700s and provides guests a glimpse of daily life in Revolutionary America. Meet costumed re-enactors, see a Revolutionary solider encampment, play 18th Century games, make historic toys, write with a quill feather and discover Ben Franklin’s glass harmonica.
A colonial fashion show takes place at 3 p.m. as costumed re-enactors model clothing of the period and tell the significance of their various garments. Guests are also encouraged to delve into the event by dressing themselves in period appropriate living history clothing.
In addition, period weapon technology will be explored alongside musket firing demonstrations throughout the day.
GEHC Director of Programming Jason West said, As we approach Gwinnett County’s bicentennial, this inaugural program is an exciting way to recognize the lasting contributions of our nation’s founders as well as understand the daily lives of the men and women who birthed a nation.
The program fee for the festival is $8 per person. GEHC members and children under the age of two are free. Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done online at www.gwinnettEHC.org. Guests can also pay the program fee at the admission desk on the day of the event. The GEHC is located at 2020 Clean Water Drive in Buford. For additional information, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.
