MONROE - Want to have a blast?
Yes or no, you will at least feel a blast as organizers of a Civil War-tribute series of events kicks off March 14 at the Monroe Arts Center.
As a prelude to "Bugles, Bayonets and Beyond" - a look back at Green County's participation in the Civil War - a real-life feel to those times will blast away in the center's parking lot with cannon fire going off on the hour from 2 to 5 p.m.
Cannons loaded with blanks and packed with a reduced powder load will be triggered. They will be aimed away from the parking lot in the direction of 11th Street and 14th Avenue, but the vibration is still expected to be intense.
As a result, Monroe police will eliminate street parking in the area that morning and will notify nearby residents via a flyer that some loud noises can be expected.
When Alderwoman Brooke Bauman asked Police Chief Fred Kelley on Monday during a Public Safety Committee meeting if he was ready for complaints or worries, he said it will be nothing he doesn't already deal with on the norm.
"We get calls about the funeral (21-gun) salutes," he said.
Traffic through the intersection will not be redirected, Kelley said, but organizers are being asked to not fire the cannon when cars are going by.
The day's lead-up will also feature an educational Civil War encampment re-enactment beginning at 10 a.m. as three actors will interact with visitors in a setting complete with equipment and garb depicting the time period.
- John Morton
Yes or no, you will at least feel a blast as organizers of a Civil War-tribute series of events kicks off March 14 at the Monroe Arts Center.
As a prelude to "Bugles, Bayonets and Beyond" - a look back at Green County's participation in the Civil War - a real-life feel to those times will blast away in the center's parking lot with cannon fire going off on the hour from 2 to 5 p.m.
Cannons loaded with blanks and packed with a reduced powder load will be triggered. They will be aimed away from the parking lot in the direction of 11th Street and 14th Avenue, but the vibration is still expected to be intense.
As a result, Monroe police will eliminate street parking in the area that morning and will notify nearby residents via a flyer that some loud noises can be expected.
When Alderwoman Brooke Bauman asked Police Chief Fred Kelley on Monday during a Public Safety Committee meeting if he was ready for complaints or worries, he said it will be nothing he doesn't already deal with on the norm.
"We get calls about the funeral (21-gun) salutes," he said.
Traffic through the intersection will not be redirected, Kelley said, but organizers are being asked to not fire the cannon when cars are going by.
The day's lead-up will also feature an educational Civil War encampment re-enactment beginning at 10 a.m. as three actors will interact with visitors in a setting complete with equipment and garb depicting the time period.
- John Morton