ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Men dressed in Civil War uniforms and women in hooped skirts gathered Saturday at a former Confederate armament plant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Museum of the Confederacy and honor the traditions of the past.
But some have argued that those traditions - especially slavery - have no place in modern Virginia.
Former Gov. Douglas Wilder, the grandson of slaves, had blasted organizers of the Bonnie Blue Ball for staging what he characterized as a celebration of slavery.
Ticket sales skyrocketed following Wilder's comments about a ``magnolia mentality.'' About 500 people attended the ball, named after the first secession flag used for public display.
``Governor Wilder has been one of the best marketing tools we could have had,'' said Jim Cochrane, a member of the museum's board of trustees. ``We sold 100 tickets the day after his comments, and we've received contributions from people who aren't even attending the ball.''
``Those who are blowing this event out of proportion are denying the facts of history,'' said Jim Tate, a Civil War re-enactor from Roanoke who wore Union blue as a representative of the 3rd U.S. Infantry. ``It's important to understand the Civil War era - its good parts and its bad parts.''
``This is an historical event trying to commemorate history,'' said Cochrane, who wore a gray Confederate general's uniform reminiscent of one Robert E. Lee might have worn. ``You don't know where you're going to go in life until you know where you came from.''
LENGTH: Short : 39 linesby CNB