The American Civil War Association will be doing authentic battle reenactments in Knights Ferry this weekend, Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20 near the Knights Ferry Covered Bridge.

The annual event will have Union and Confederate encampments on each side of the river adjacent to the Stanislaus River Park with dramatic battle reenactments at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

The participants, who travel from all over the State of California and Nevada to take part, wear authentic Civil War dress and use weapons consisting of muzzleloaders and cannons.

Onlookers can view the very realistic battles on the hillsides of the park. During the Civil War civilians commonly watched the battles between the North and South on battlefield hillsides.

The association attempts to educate the public on this era through battle reenactments, recreating authentic camps and by giving school programs. With the uniforms, clothing and equipment of the period one can get some small sense of how the men, women and children lived through the hardship that was the Civil War.

A spaghetti feed sponsored by the Knights Ferry Community Club supporting the event will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 at the Club House on Main Street.