Seneca Shipyard Days

For history buffs and World War II veterans, and families alike, Seneca Shipyard Days Festival, from June 20-23, offers a glimpse back in America's history. The Seneca Shipyard Days Festival is a yearly celebration of Seneca, Illinois' role in WW II as the home of the "Shipyard on the Prairie," manufacturing LST's (Landing Ship Tanks) for the war effort. Each year the Village of Seneca celebrates with a 4-day festival full of education, history, live entertainment, food booths, and so much more!

Spotlighting the region's role on the international stage during World War II, this year's event will offer a tremendous combination of history and historians, including Art Carlson, whose life's work is building a full scale replica of a Landing Ship Tank (LST). Both Art and the replica are expected at the event. Gene Yeager, author of a memoir called Flat Bottom Odyssey, will be available on Friday, June 22, for a book signing. Also, Marshall Caulk, one of the 3 only survivors of the LST 625, will be at the festival for a meet-and-greet. The USS LST Memorial Association will also be at the festival offering history of the LST's, and notably LST 325, which they have restored and will be raising funds for their dry docking project (visit www.lstmemorial.org). The group plans to sell hats and t-shirts, among other items, to raise funds. "The Way We Were" Smithsonian Institute program on Seneca's Boom Time lecture will be replicated with a discussion of how the area handled a population boom from 1200 to 10,000 people with a special surprise for the Seneca Historical Guild following the presentation during the afternoon activities on Saturday, June 23rd. The Guild will also give tours of the "Hogan Grain Elevator," which is the only standing grain elevator on the historic Illinois & Michigan Canal, as well as the state of Illinois. The elevator is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Traditional festival fair such as nightly live entertainment, a food taste for food lovers, beer garden, large carnival midway, and flea market are all on the schedule as well. The festival will conclude on Saturday night with a new fireworks show, which will be started with a blaster gun to the lucky winner of a raffle for the "Right to Light" the fireworks show currently going in the Village. Visit www.senecashipyarddays.com for more information and a daily schedule of events.