Annual Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid ongoing tornado cleanup
PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- It could take months before a historic Westmoreland County battlefield is deemed safe to reopen to the public.
Nearly two weeks after an EF1 tornado tore through Penn Township and caused massive damage to Bushy Run, leadership has canceled its annual reenactment in August.
As Bonnie Ramus looked at Bushy Run Battlefield Monday morning, it pained her to see the condition it's in.
Countless trees are on the ground, damaged, some more than 100 years old, after the National Weather Service said a tornado touched down on the national landmark on June 26.
The storm came through just two months before the 261st reenactment of the battle that occurred in August 1763.
"It's just heartbreaking," Ramus said. "There's just so much involved in putting this reenactment on."
Ramus is president of the board of directors and said the decision to cancel wasn't taken lightly.
The tree company told them it would take crews until Sept. 1 to clean the major part of the battlefield. This doesn't include the woods and trails on the more than 200-acre property.
"We plan for a whole year for it. To move it in that little bit of time is just not possible," Ramus said.
This year, she was prepared for a smooth event after encountering a hiccup in 2023 from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The agency almost prevented it from happening, calling force-on-force displays disrespectful to the memory of those who died in or were impacted by the battle, and enforcing new guidelines on non-natives portraying natives.
"We thought this is going to be a nice, easy year, and we can celebrate with no drama," Ramus said. "Now, we can't even have it."
However, Ramus said one more obstacle won't stop them from keeping history alive, as she looks forward to 2025.
"It'll never look the same, but we just have to go on," Ramus said.
The Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society hopes to celebrate in place of the reenactment in the late fall.
