LAKE COUNTY – Lake County Democrats won the majority on their county board last fall in the 2018 "Blue Wave," and as a result, things are changing. For instance, Lake County's decades-long annual "Civil War Days" are canceled, due to "safety concerns."
Because Lake County's Board of Commissioners double as the county's Forest Preserves Board, they elect a president and vice-president among themselves. The newly-elected Forest Preserves President is Angelo Kyle, an African-American.
Kyle told the Chicago Tribune he had been to the event with former board member and fellow African-American Audrey Nixon and, ‘Some of the things I experienced I cannot talk about here,’ while referencing the sight of Confederate battle flags.
‘There were a considerable number of Confederate flags and a number of other things I took into consideration,’ Kyle said.
Kyle, who reportedly canceled another reenactment in neighboring Lake Villa that was later reinstated due to community outrage, says he believes there is only one side to the story being told at re-enactment events.
‘Our ancestors told us what really happened. Did you know that black soldiers were put on the front line in the North and Southern front lines so they would be killed first?’ he asked fellow board members.
The cancelation at Lake County Forest Preserves has drawn national attention in sources such as The Federalist,
"This isn’t just a story of ignorant social justice warriors who fail to understand history (no, black soldiers were not put on the front lines of the Union and Confederate armies to take the most casualties but were largely kept behind the lines as manual labor)," columnist Elizabeth Bauer writes. "It appears to be much more a story of garden-variety politics."
Politics or not, now Lake County's Forest Preserves Board page says the event is canceled, due to safety concerns:
The Board's press release explains:
Due to safety concerns, we are canceling the Civil War Days event scheduled for July 13 and 14, 2019.
"After consulting with local and state law enforcement agencies, we made the decision to cancel the event due to public safety concerns. Our number one concern is the safety of participating Lake County residents and visitors, reenactors and vendors, as well as our staff and volunteers operating the event. They are our top priority," said Ty Kovach, Lake County Forest Preserves Executive Director.
“During the past week, there have been many responses to information stemming from a June 11 Forest Preserves board meeting where Civil War Days was discussed. Some of these responses were very concerning,” said John Tannahill, Director of Public Safety for the Lake County Forest Preserves. “We consulted with local and state law enforcement agencies that specialize in events like this about the responses. Based on their advice, and in an effort to keep everyone safe, canceling is the best decision.”
An educational event, Civil War Days has taken place at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda for the past 27 years. "The tension around the event this year has changed the tone. We are not going to take a risk. It’s our job to protect preserve visitors, and our employees and volunteers," Tannahill said.
“Vigorous conversations have taken place in the past week at the national, state and local levels, regarding the Civil War Days event. Some of these conversations have led to security concerns. Security concerns must always be taken seriously, making a cancellation of this year’s event the prudent decision,” said Lake County Forest Preserves President Angelo Kyle."
Republican Dick Baar, Lake County Commissioner for District #3, sums up the situation with three words: "Elections have consequences."
