Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008
Visitors who came out to see a luminary conducted on the evening of Saturday, March 8th, witnessed a remarkable sight – over 13,000 candles flickering in the cold night breeze at the historic prison site. But it almost didn’t happen.
When hundreds of volunteers were to arrive to help assemble the bags with sand and candles that morning, they were greeted with snow. Yes, it was snowing in southwest Georgia in early March. And then there was the wind, sometimes gusting to 30 mph. The wind made it especially challenging to place all the luminaries on site and get them to stay in place.
When the candle lighting was begun in late afternoon, most blew out immediately. But, in the end, it worked.
For the volunteers who came to the park, the question to the staff was, “Who picked this date or couldn’t you have commemorated this event on a nicer day?” But thanks to the dedicated volunteers and staff who pressed on, the event was a huge success.
By the time the visitors started arriving at 7 p.m., the wind had diminished and the night was clear and cold. The thousands of candles were a testament to the men at Camp Sumter who lost their lives at Andersonville. Event planners were also careful to include 236 gray luminaries to commemorate those Confederate guards who also died at the infamous prison camp. They were set in the location of the guard camp just outside the stockade. Visitors drove around the prison site along the tour road using their parking lights to appreciate the view. Some visitors exited the park and drove right back around to see it again.
One of the event sponsors was the Friends of Andersonville, which provided funding to support the project and volunteers.
“It was a breathtaking sight to see all the candles in the dark to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom,” said Mark Stibitz, president of the Friends of Andersonville. “We did this in their memory.”
The park’s volunteer coordinator, Angela Clark, expressed her appreciation to those who braved the weather to make the event a success.
“The park is fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers to assist with making this dream a reality,” said Clark. “We especially appreciate the youth groups such as Scouts and Junior ROTC units that made the event a success.”
Many of the same volunteers came back on Sunday morning to assist the staff with clean up.
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