Re-enactment of Battle of San Jacinto set April 26

The San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment on Saturday, April 26, celebrate Texas' independence won at the famous Battle of San Jacinto.

The admission-free San Jacinto Day Festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the San Jacinto Monument on the 1,200- acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. There will be a full day of music, entertainment, food, games and fun set amidst living history.

On April 21, 1836 - in 18 short minutes - Gen. Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army, officially securing Texas' independence from Mexico and leading to the addition of one million square miles of territory to the United States.

Each year on April 21 the official State of Texas ceremony marking the anniversary date of the San Jacinto Battle takes place at 11 a.m. on the steps of the San Jacinto Monument. The commemorative ceremony is open to the public.

Also, at 9:30 a.m., the Battleship Texas Foundation will stage a small ceremony aboard Battleship TEXAS to commemorate the ship's being moored at the San Jacinto Battleground for 60 years.

The April 26 Battle of San Jacinto re-enactment - one of the largest in the state - recreates one of the most important battles of American history. The day's most popular event begins at 3 p.m., complete with thundering cannons, musket fire, horses, pyrotechnics and hundreds of reenactors.

The re-enactment replicates the Runaway Scrape (Texians gathering the few belongings they could to flee the advancing forces of Santa Anna), the march of the Texas army from Gonzales to San Jacinto, the resulting cannon duel, and the final battle between the two forces. Mexican Army Gen. Santa Anna's surrender to Texian Army Gen. Sam Houston completes the re-enactment. A laying of wreaths to honor the sacrifices of both armies follows.

The festival celebrates this special day in Texas history with entertaining and educational activities:

Blacksmiths, basket weavers, weavers, spinners, quilters and other demonstrators will give visitors a full sense of how life was in the early 1800s. Sutlers (civilians who sold provisions to military posts) will be on hand to sell or show their wares.

On the Main Stage, popular local and regional entertainers will perform. Liz Talley, a European Country Music Awards 2008 Female Vocalist of the Year nominee, and her band will play traditional acoustic country.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department interpreters will offer guided tours of the restored marshlands and answer questions about wildlife inhabiting the park.

Battleship TEXAS, the nation's first battleship memorial museum, is open for visitors.

Inside the San Jacinto Monument lobby will be an exhibit of recently restored artifacts on display. Chambers' dress uniform.

The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is located 22 miles southeast of downtown Houston. To reach the site, take State Highway 225 east to Battleground Road north, approximately three miles from the freeway.