If you're looking for something really cool to do on this Labor Day, it's not too late to head on out to Put-in-Bay for a live reenactment of the famous historic Battle of Lake Erie. It's the bicentennial anniversary of the battle that took place during the War of 1812 in September of 1813.
During the Battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry of the U.S. Navy and his crew of 557 prevailed over the British fleet near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Perry commanded a fleet of nine American ships and fought so well that he forced an entire British squadron to surrender. This victory gave the U.S. forces control over the Great Lakes and made Perry an American naval hero.
The battle reenactment will commence at exactly 12pm today, September 2, and will conclude at 2pm. 550 people will board 17 ships for the event, which marks the high point of a series of events marking the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie.
The tall ships that are participating in the reenactment will sail east to Erie following the battle for the Erie Tall Ships Festival, which runs from September 5 to 8.