Women in hoop skirts and men wearing Civil War-era uniforms and ceremonial swords will be the norm at tonight’s Battle Flag Ball in Des Moines. Jeff Morgan, spokesman for the State Historical Society of Iowa, says the second annual event is a family-friendly military-style ball and fundraiser for the Society’s collection of historic banners.
Morgan says they’ll feature Civil War re-enactors in period costumes, period music and dancing during the Civil War Festival from 11 AM to 3 P.M., prior to the Battle Flag Ball, which starts at 5:30 P.M. The state has more than 200 battle flags that were carried by Iowa-based soldiers during the Civil War and it takes about 48-hundred dollars for experts to properly preserve each flag.
Morgan says proceeds from the ball go to help support conservation and preservation of Iowa’s historic battle flags which range back to the Civil War and include flags carried by Iowans in the Spanish-American War and in World War One. The Civil War Fest is free but there is an admission charge for the ball. For details, visit " www.iowahistory.org " or call 515-281-5111.