PIKE: 2025 Civil War Re-enactment being replaced by Lincoln Festival

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By BETH ZUMWALT

The 23 annual Civil War Re-enactment held at the Pittsfield City Lake has been cancelled this year.

“We hope to be back next year,” Bob Norris, the new president of the Abe Lincoln project, who puts on the event each year.

Instead a new Lincoln Festival will be held June 7 on the grounds of the East School Museum which will include vendors, demonstrations and other Lincoln-era programs and events.

Norris said the sudden resignation of long-time re-enactment organizer Kathy Zimmerman, late last year, had put the group in a bind for organizing a festival for this June. The event is held annually the first weekend in June.

Zimmerman’s resignation came after the city of Pittsfield cut their donation to the event and added some criteria for all donations made to any organization, which included, information about the organization, a financial statement, what the money was to be used for.

“We didn’t want to give money to a financially solvent organization, but, instead wanted to put our money where it was needed,” Mendenhall said.“It was my understanding that we used to give $12,000 to the Looking for Lincoln Project which went to pay Zimmerman’s salary. In 2024,we reduced that to $9,000 and planned the same amount for 2025. We offered to talk to them, but, she wasn’t interested.”

Zimmerman did consent to continue as re-enactment director for half-salary or $6,000 per year. Zimmerman’s duties included grant writing, contacting and getting commitments from re-enactment participants and special events, frequently held at the re-enacement.

According to Mendenhall, Zimmerman sent him an e-mail, Dec. 13 saying if the city couldn’t guarantee $15,000 to the Abe Lincoln Project, which would include her reduced salary of $6,000 annually, she would resign, dissolve the Abe Lincoln Project and cancel the Lincoln Days Civil War Re-enactment.

An e-mail from Zimmerman dated Dec. 19, said “ Since the city is unwilling to help fund the Abe Lincoln Project from the economic development budget and contribute towards my salary, we have nothing to talk about.”

She also advised she would  she would contact the Looking for Lincoln Project, Holly Cain, the area’s director of tourism and the re-enactment community to tell them that the city of Pittsfield doesn’t think she was entitled to any salary and would not guarantee funding for the re-enactment.

According to Norris, the local Abraham Lincoln Project met in December and accepted Zimmerman’s resignation, but, voted not to dissolve the organization.

Mendenhall said he appreciated the event and knew that many in the community and surrounding area enjoyed the annual event, but, it did not contribute to the sales tax in Pittsfield in a big way.

“The re-enactors all brought their own food and cooked out. They camped at the lake and rarely came into Pittsfield,” he said. “A few may have bought gas, but, for the most part, they stayed at the lake and we didn’t charge them for camping.”

Mendenhall did say he hoped the Lincoln Project could continue the re-enactment next year and hoped the city would be able to facilitate the project by maintaining the grounds, placing bleachers for spectators as well as a shuttle bus from the parking areas to the actual campgrounds and battlefield.and donating financially toward the event.