BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association (BHCA) will host its second annual Civil War Weekend May 1-3 at various locations throughout Bellefonte.

The weekend, which commemorates the war that threatened to divide the union, will feature a range of educational and living-history programming.

Events will include, lectures by 10 scholars, guided tours of the Union Cemetery, a large sale of Civil War books, an encampment of Civil War reenactors, musket and cannon firings, a recreation of Lincoln’s “house divided” speech, a dramatic presentation of a powerful article written by Frederick Douglas urging Congress to give black men the vote, a book exhibit at the Bellefonte Library, a Civil War memorabilia exhibit at the Historical Museum and an interfaith religious service.

All programs, demonstrations and exhibits are free and no tickets are required. The weekend’s primary venues are the American Philatelic Society, Bellefonte Waterfront, Union Cemetery and St. John’s Episcopal Church.

The Civil War Weekend in Bellefonte will be three days of remembering and reflecting not just on our past, but on our future, organizers said.

There will be examinations of battles, campaigns and leaders, but also a consideration of the social, philosophical and political ideas that led to the conflict. Attentive visitors will learn how the War failed to resolve some of the issues that caused it, the BHCA added.

The weekend begins Friday afternoon, with two lectures, a cemetery tour and an evening presentation of the Frederick Douglas article.

On Saturday, the pace picks up with two simultaneous daylong tracks of talks and the book sale at the American Philatelic Society, opening of the encampment, another cemetery tour and recreation of Lincoln’s speech.

On Sunday, the weekend winds down — the encampment opens again; there will be another cemetery tour; and an interfaith Abrahamic Endorsement of Peace service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

More specific information about speakers, topics, reenactors and programs can be found at the Bellefonte Civil War Weekend’s website, www.bellefontecivilwarweekend.org/.

The Civil War Weekend in Bellefonte is far from a modest local effort, the BCHA said. Three of the Weekend’s speakers come from Penn State, but others hail from faraway places, including Texas, Virginia, New York and Connecticut.

BHCA is piloting the weekend in hopes of growing it into a regular annual offering like Victorian Christmas or the Cruise. So far, it has proved costly, but the weekend is slowly attracting sponsors who lighten the load of presenting it, the organizers said.

BHCA offered special thanks to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau for covering the marketing costs of the weekend.