2026 Liberty Days Recap: Rain Can’t Stop History!
The 14th Annual Liberty Days brought an incredible turnout of living history and community spirit to the Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library on October 2–3, 2026!
Despite a rainy Friday that moved all our educational activities indoors, the museum and barn were buzzing with excitement. We welcomed over 300 students from Poplar Bluff’s 5th-grade class, alongside students from Bell City’s 5th and 6th-grade classes and three different homeschool co-ops.
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18 Interactive Living History Stations
With 18 unique teaching stations packed inside, students enjoyed an unforgettable journey through time:
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Revolutionary War & Early History: Represented by the Poplar Bluff Daughters of the American Revolution and Crowley’s Ridge, alongside the 1811–12 New Madrid Earthquake station hosted by Jeff Grunwald from the New Madrid Historical Museum.
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Civil War Era: Featured Andrew Porter of the Illinois troops (who printed the first Stars & Stripes newspaper), Chris, Twyla, and Abby Warren, John Bourland from the Civil War Roundtable in Cape Girardeau, and a dedicated Confederate reenactment group including Dan Hill, Dalton Bilderback, Rodney Dennis, and LT Black.
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World Wars & Cold War: Alec Scheirmier brought World War I German soldier history to life; Nick Huth and his troops represented World War II; LaDonna Dekriek shared homefront perspectives from WWII and Korea; Sue Mayo and Lyndell Revelle from the Stoddard County Historical Society shared fascinating insights on WWII vehicles, Ernie Pyle, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Stars & Stripes D-Day journalists; and Cold War veteran Mike Shane educated students on the Cold War era.
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Heritage & Community Partners: David Silverberg from the Poplar Bluff Railroad Museum showcased the history of the MOARK railroad; Chance Ziegler represented the Scouting of America; Stoddard County EMS and Fire brought out a truck for students to explore; Christa Tucker and auxiliary members handed out Tootsie Rolls and poppies; Rita Post from the DAV Auxiliary talked about the American flag and handed flags out to students; and Carleen Johns led a hands-on craft station where students made flags.
Saturday Community Celebration
Saturday brought wonderful weekend crowds out to enjoy our traditional living history timeline, thrilling WWII skirmish reenactments, and our popular Dessert Auction supporting museum preservation. Thank you to all our amazing reenactors, volunteers, school groups, and community members who made this year’s event such a massive success!