DUNCANS MILLS, Calif. – It was July 1863 all over again during Civil War Days last weekend in Duncans Mills.

Hundreds of reenactors and thousands of spectators relived the Civil War and participated in living history over the two-day event.

Fifteen Lake County residents volunteered as event staff as part of an agreement where 30 “man” days of labor is traded for a Civil War artillery team coming to the Bass Bowl, the rivalry football game between Kelseyville High and Clear Lake High, later this year.

The Lake County contingent helped with the snack and drink shacks, crowd control, trash pickup, bathroom supplies, and a variety of other tasks that were needed during the event that was attended by over 3,000 people.

Civil War Days is an annual event put on by the California Historical Artillery Society and the Casini Ranch Family Campground.

It is Northern California's largest Civil War reenactment and one of the largest reenactments west of the Mississippi.

Besides battle reenactments, there were living history presentations in the Union, Confederate and civilian camps.

This year the number of reenactors was down a bit due to so many having attended the huge 150th Anniversary Reenactment at Gettysburg earlier in the month. As usual, the South lost, but promised to rise again next year.

The Lake County group included Phil Smoley (project coordinator), Rob Ishihara (Bass Bowl creator), Rob Christian, Steve Stetzer, and Jim Steele (Civil War Roundtable), CJ Epperson, Mario Villalobos, Noah Finch and Asa Peters (Kelseyville High football), Ray Perry, Sloan Reynolds and Jennigan Foster (CPS Country Air Properties), and local volunteers David Petty, Danielle Petty, Charles Epperson and Lisa Epperson.

“This will be the third year of this relationship where we trade labor for them sending a full horse drawn artillery team to the Bass Bowl,” said Smoley. “They fire the cannon after every score, which definitely livens up the game and draws bigger crowds.”

This years Bass Bowl is scheduled for Friday night, Oct. 25.