See Texas history come to life in Acton May 20

For the last 11 years, the Texas Heroes Foundation has been promoting Texas history education through its annual Stroll Thru Texas History event — and this year is no exception.

The Stroll Thru Texas History event is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at the Acton Cemetery, 3600 Fall Creek Highway.

The mission of the Texas Heroes Foundation is to help educate people of all ages about the history of the state of Texas in order to preserve its accuracy and encourage appreciation for its richness. 

And that’s exactly what the Stroll Thru Texas History event is all about.

By highlighting historical events and people from the North Texas area like Sam Houston, David Crockett, and Susanna Dickinson, the free event brings Texas history to life.

Many families enjoy spending the day watching the demonstrations and displays, interpreters and re-enactors, listening to historical live music, witnessing the Elizabeth Crockett Memorial Ceremony, and observing live cannon fire.

There will be two new additional surprises for this year’s event as well — a demonstration from weavers and a visit from the law enforcement agency, the Texas Rangers.

“Our weavers have been gone for a couple of years and we’re going to have them back,” said Heather Flannery, board member and treasurer for the Texas Heroes Foundation. “They do traditional weaving on a loom so kids will get to see what it looks like and where the wool comes from. We also will have the Texas Rangers this year. It is the 200th anniversary of the year that Stephen F. Austin started the Texas Rangers, so we are celebrating (that during the event).”

Characters of Native Americans, frontiersmen, ranchers, and soldiers keep attendees occupied with stories from the past, while black powder demonstrations always turn heads.

“I just love walking around on Saturday and getting to hear all of the presenters tell their stories,” Flannery said. “There are so many stories that span the history of Texas and there’s always something new to learn.”

While visiting Acton, families can also see Texas’ smallest state park of .006 acres and interact with the presenters to learn more about the Lone Star State’s history and culture.

“The event is just such a fun day,” Flannery said. “The presenters even have a great time, and I think everybody portrays that they have a love for what they’re doing, and it makes it so much fun.”

Additionally, the event is a huge learning opportunity for students. Stroll Thru Texas History hosts more than 1,500 students, teachers, and visitors each year, while the historical characters visit schools and civic groups to foster interest in Texas history.

“Friday (May 19) is open to our schools,” Flannery said. “We’ve got some fourth-grade classes, a homeschool group and a seventh-grade class from Lipan coming. They get to have a firsthand look at everything, hear the cannon shot, things you don’t get to see every day and the kids love it. They learn so much and they have so much fun that they go home and tell their parents about it. We’ve had a lot of the parents come back for the next day because their children had so much fun, they went home and talked all about it.”

For more information, visit texasheroesfoundation.org online, or follow the Texas Heroes Foundation Facebook page.