Stars and Stripes Museum holds Liberty Day Celebration

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- On Oct. 20, 725 students from 11 schools located around Southeast Missouri, were given a hands-on American history learning experience. The students took part in history demonstrations held on the Stars and Stripes Museum grounds. The time span of the history lesson began in the 1700s. The event took place in Bloomfield, Missouri.

Some of the areas that were covered by the demonstrations were the living conditions of the early pioneers, hunters, trappers, and mountain men. There were exhibits from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War that featured American crafts, such as rope making, hide tanning, candle making, and flint napping. The history of the US military was represented in many of the encampments. The students interacted with a re-enactor portraying Woodrow Wilson in a WWI history lesson and Rosie the Riveter in a WWII on the Homefront presentation. Other presenters were veterans from the Vietnam War, Cold War, and Gulf War.

Each school group was sent to different locations on the grounds and once that exhibitor finished his/her part, the group of students went to the next location in the history demonstrations. The Stars & Stripes Museum did a wonderful job organizing and separating the 725 students among the displays and demonstrations.

The community also participated. The Troop E Highway Patrol brought a roll-over simulator and Bloomfield brought a fire truck and an emergency EMT vehicle.

Nestle Purina company gave classes on pet safety and workplace safety. Hard hats, safety goggles, and brightly colored clothing were the most important safety features talked about. They also talked about wearing mask because of particles floating in the air. The company is located north of Aquilla, Missouri on Highway Y.

Other demonstrations were directly attached to the military: military camps, the old guns and cannon firing as well as the military vehicles, army ambulance, military trucks, and the Huey helicopter. There were also a variety of guns, of all types.

The demonstrations that seem to draw the most attention, was the firing of the canons, the flamethrower demonstrations and the Confederate army camp.

The schools that attended the liberty day celebration:

Sacred Heart (Poplar Bluff), Westwood Baptist Academy (Poplar Bluff); Woodland R-IV schools; St. Vincent's of Cape Girardeau; Immanuel Lutheran of Perryville; Twin Rivers; New Madrid ROTC; Trinity Lutheran schools of Cape Girardeau; Eagle Ridge Christian of Cape Girardeau, Mingo Job Corps and Risco R11.