After a two-year hiatus, Living History Day is back on Oct. 8 at Texas Southmost College’s Fort Brown Campus in Brownsville. The lawn and grounds of the college’s Performing Arts Center will serve as a backdrop for a morning of family-friendly activities, historical reenactments and more unique ways to experience history.

History instructors Dirk Yarker and Rob Ramaker are the principal organizers of the event, bringing people young and old enjoying history in a hands-on fashion.

“We’re really excited about bringing the students back onto campus and showing them this event,” Yarker said. “We’re bringing a lot of people from the surrounding community and groups that people may not know exist.”

Cannons, shields, battle mesh and muskets are all on the table as reenactors from different eras will be on hand to put on an informational, educational show.

An All-Audience Appeal

One of the stars of the morning will be employees and volunteers from Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park manning and firing a cannon from the days of the Mexican-American War.

“Our goal is to rope in that new audience,” said Daniel Ibarra, chief of interpretation at Palo Alto Battlefield NHP. “Going out and being at an event and seeing someone in period dress and put your hands on period-correct equipment is just a different level of understanding. Down to the smell of the sulfur base. It’s cool to see people take it all in.”

A big focus of Living History Day is the focus on youth, students and a family-friendly atmosphere. Ibarra said the outreach opportunity is special to reach groups that may be underprivileged. The event is free to the public and all ages.

“It’s neat to be able to engage with audiences that maybe don’t have access to these sites,” Ibarra said. “They are part of this community that’s larger than them, but we can hopefully get them thinking that there are opportunities in the public history field or humanities that they can be a part of. That there is a different path than what they normally are exposed to.” <

Living History Day takes place from 8 a.m. to noon. Parking will be available in the Jacob Brown Auditorium Parking Lot as well as Oliveira Student Services Parking Lot.