Mount Gretna played an important role in training and preparing troops for the Spanish-American War in 1898. This role will be the focus of events and programs on Saturday, May 6, which will commemorate the 125th anniversary of 10,800 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers gathering at the Mount Gretna Military Reservation to train for the Spanish-American War. Activities will begin with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. on Soldiers Field, which will include remarks, a wreath laying and the playing of taps.

NGP History Project living historians in period uniforms will set up camp on Soldiers Field and re-create a day in the life of Lebanon Company G of the 8th Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Camp Hastings, named after Gov. Daniel Hastings, will run from dawn to dusk on May 6 and will include typical activities such as reveille at 5:30 a.m., a mess call at 5:45 a.m., a guard mount at 1:30 p.m. and a battalion drill at 3 p.m.

Other activities will include a scavenger hunt for children and adults from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with prizes,

Tours of the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society Museum, located at 206 Pennsylvania Ave., Mount Gretna, will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food items will be offered by Dutch Country Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels and the Keller BBQ food truck.

That same day, at the Hall of Philosophy in the Chautauqua area of Mount Gretna, two programs and displays on the Spanish-American War will be offered. From 12:30 to 4 p.m., consultations on Spanish-American War genealogy will be provided by James McAteer, past president of the Sons of the Spanish-American War Veterans. He will display Pennsylvania military records of those who served in that war.

At 1 p.m. at the Hall of Philosophy, a program on "Espionage During the Spanish-American War" will be presented by William Burkheimer, national first vice president of the Sons of Spanish American War Veterans. This program will be followed at 2:30 p.m. by a presentation on "The War in the Philippines" by Mark Donahue, national second vice president of the Sons of Spanish American War Veterans.

For further details and a schedule of Spanish-American War related activities and programs occurring on May 6, visit http://www.mtgretnahistory.org.

The 125th anniversary events are being sponsored by the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society, the Sons and Daughters of Spanish American War Veterans, the NGP History Project and the Lebanon Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.