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by Randy Arrington
Staff Writer

	Soldiers rest after the Battle of Cedar Mountain.

The phone started ringing about two weeks ago.

Skip and Lou Price began fielding calls from all across the country - question about the new prints in the front window of Village Frameworks.

"Between 50 and 100 people have called," Mr. Price says, as he adjusts a copy of Mort Künstler's newest Civil War creation on an easel.

His wife admits to restless nights.

"This is big," she sighs.

Künstler's latest image portrays Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart helping his wife from a carriage in downtown Culpeper at a ball held prior to the Battle of Brandy Station on June 4, 1863. The artist will sign prints of his work at The Depot this Saturday.

The new piece plays off of a 1999 work by Mr. Künstler titled "Candlelight and Roses," showing a ballroom scene from the same evening in Culpeper.

"The signing starts at 10 a.m. and I've been told to expect people to start lining up at 8:30 a.m.," Mrs. Price said. "He has dealers from all over the country that follow him."

The arrival of the well-known historical artist this weekend not only marks a big day for the Price's frame shop; it's the start of something new in Culpeper.

This small farm building probably served as a Confederate field hospital during the Battle of Cedar Mountain on Aug. 9, 1862.

The country's tourism department has joined with Culpeper Renaissance to promote an array of Civil War events April 1 - 3, under the umbrella of "Remembrance Days." Organizers think the weekend has the potential to become an annual showcase for the county.

"We want to grow it every year," Tourism Director Beth Bunch said. "We'd like to see it become an all-encompassing history event."

This year's choice to focus on the Civil War resulted from coincidence.

A few months ago, local author and Civil War tour guide Virginia Morton learned of a special event taking place in Petersburg on Saturday, April 2. Patrick Falci, the actor who portrayed A.P. Hill in the film "Gettysburg," planned to honor the Confederate general on the 140th anniversary of his death. Since 2000, the historian/actor has held a special ceremony on that day at the Petersburg battlefield, where Gen. Hill met his demise.

"When I was a child, my parents gave me a book about the Civil War and Lee and Jackson became my heroes," Mr. Falci said. "But when I heard that Jackson called for Hill on his deathbed. . . I said, 'Hey this guy must really be something'."

So, the native of Queens, N.Y. became an avid A.P. Hill fan - even begging Director Ron Maxwell to cast him in the part for the first installment of his Civil War trilogy based on the novel, "Killer Angels."

While serving as a historical consultant to the director of "Gettysburg," Mr. Falci admits using bad puns and constant nagging to sway Mr. Maxwell's casting decision.

"He went into a souvenir shop on day and told me to wait in the car," Mr. Falci said of the director, "He came out five minutes later and gave me a shirt with A.P. Hill on it and that's how I knew I had got the part."

The actor takes pride in his portrayal of Gen. Hill, which he'll reprise this Friday and Culpeper.

Dressed in character, Mr. Falci will attend the dedication of a marker at the boyhood home of A.P. Hill at West Davis and Main streets at noon on Friday. Later that day, he'll be the guest of honor at "An Evening with A.P. Hill" at the Hazel River Armory. The event will benefit the Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield, where the Culpeper native launched a counterattack that turned the tide of the skirmish for the Confederacy.

"He's always been known as Lee's 'forgotten general,' so I want to keep his name alive," Mr. Falci said. "Since I was coming to Virginia to commemorate his death, it worked out that I could come to Culpeper."

When the country's tourism director learned that Mr. Künstler and Mr. Falci would come to Culpepper on the same weekend to promote different aspects of its Civil War heritage, the wheels started turning.

Culpeper Renaissance got involved and several downtown merchants planned special events, such as a wine tasting at Gray Ghost Vineyard at Chateau du Reaux on East David Street.

The weekend will include "living history" events at two battlefields and the Museum of Culpeper History, as well as special tours of the Graffiti House in Brandy Station and a restored 19th century home. Brian Strecker's circa 1854 gothic cottage at 113 E. Edmondson St. will offer a social history of middle class life in Culpeper during the mid-1800s, provided by guides in authentic attire.

"You'll feel like you've stepped back in time," the tourism director said. "History is all around us."

Future potential for the event seems endless. Historical film festivals have been mentioned, in anticipation of renovations to the State Theater of Main Street and the opening of the National Audio Visual Conservation Center at Mount Pony.

As for this weekend, the A.P. Hill dinner has sold all of his 180 seats. The Prices say that they have already sold about three-fourths of the 200 Künstler prints available. Organizers estimate 500 visitors will descend on Culpeper this weekend.

"It's a win-win for us, the county and the town," said Kurt Johnson, president of Friends of the Cedar Mountain Battlefield. "If even a few of the people coming in for Mort Künstler come out to the battlefield, we'll count that as a success."

Those waiting to meet Mr. Künstler will be given numbers, they won't lose their place in line - offering time to visit downtown shops. The weekend's economic impact is anticipated to exceed the $23,250 from one-day triathlon on Aug 7 that featured 300 participants.

"We should see an increase in visitors and tourist dollars during and after this weekend," said Bob Luddy, president of the Brandy Station Foundation. The group preserves the site of the largest cavalry engagement of the Civil War just east of Culpeper.

"We've noticed a great increase in the interest of the battlefield and the Graffiti House," Mr. Luddy continued. "This indicates to me that Culpeper has a lot of history, and the word is getting out. "I hope 'Remembrance Days' is another way of promoting that."

The Graffiti House, which served as a hospital during the war, will showcase a new downstairs display during a grand re-opening set for Saturday, April 16.

The famous Civil War artist from Oyster Bay, N.Y. prepares to visit a small town just east of the Blue Ridge that inspired "Before the Ball."

"I try to open a window to the past and show people something that haven't seen before," Mr. Künstler said of his paintings. "When I drove through Culpeper and saw the courthouse, I just felt I had to do something with it."

And so this weekend - as a matter of coincidence - two well-known Civil War enthusiasts will help Culpeper showcase its history. It may become an annual draw for tourist dollars.

"It's amazing how all of this has fallen together," Mr. Price said. "It's like it was meant to happen."

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