Fort Jennings event will celebrate military history

FORT JENNINGS — War reenactments, artillery and canon displays and three Vietnam-era helicopters will be featured during Fort Fest, this year scheduled Friday through Sunday in the Fort Jennings Park and downtown. Free entertainment, this year featuring Naked Karate Girls and Nashville artists Kristen Kelly, Kyle Mercer and Tim Baumgartner, is also scheduled as residents celebrate their history as a military outpost during the War of 1812. Fort Fest 2021 returns all three aircraft of the Huey 369 organization. These Vietnam era helicopters are brought in under motorcycle escort. The Eyes of Freedom, the Traveling Small Wars and Conflicts Memorial and the Traveling First Responder's Memorial will also be at this year's festival. Continuing on Friday is a classic car cruise-in and a variety of local breweries and wineries that will offer an opportunity for tasting at the Fort Fest Barrels and Brews Wine and Craft Beer event. A live reenactment of the War of 1812, with cannon fire and muskets, will be held at twilight. In addition to the 1812 village open all weekend are the Black Lions and Wolfhounds Vietnam War camps, a World War II encampment and a Civil War encampment. Live reenactments of the Vietnam War and the War of 1812 will be held on Saturday. A special event will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday to commemorate a World War II bomber crash that occurred on County roads S and 19 in Jennings Township in 1942, killing the seven Army-Air Corps men aboard. The crash was due to a mechanical failure in the overloaded plane carrying .55-caliber rounds and food supplies to the troops in the European theater. A plaque will be erected at the site of the crash. Attending will be the families of four of the victims who are traveling from all over the United States. More information is available online at fjfortfest.com