Stacey Bonine and Collette Konkle’s fourth-grade class from Angling Road Elementary in Portage will portray characters from the Underground Railroad at the Bonine House, Penn Road and M-60, from 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday. Stacey is a descendent of Lot Bonine, brother of James E., who built the Bonine House. The presentation is titled “Wax Museum — Honoring the Underground Railroad of Michigan, Cass County and Beyond.”
Twenty-four students have researched characters from the period, and have chosen one to portray as a “wax” figure. They have written a one-minute script describing their character and will be in period costume. Groups of students will be stationed in various rooms of the Bonine House waiting for visitors to press a “button” on their hand to hear about seven different groups of people associated with the Underground Railroad.
Groups will focus on the stories of four Freedom Seekers, the Kentucky Raid, Cass County pioneers, women abolitionists, African-American Civil War soldiers from Cass County, Cass County students from the time period, connecting UGRR lines in the area and President Abraham Lincoln.
The students are very excited about their presentation and invite everyone to come to see and hear “life-like” characters from the past. For more information, call the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County at 445-7358.