The Harrisburg Civil War Round Table will meet on Friday, Feb. 16, at the Central Penn College Conference Center, 600 Valley Road, Summerdale. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and a buffet dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. Anyone who wishes to attend the lecture only should arrive by 7 p.m. The lecture will also be broadcast via Zoom.

In honor of Black History Month, National Park Service ranger John D. Hoptak will pay tribute to the many southcentral Pennsylvania residents who fought in the celebrated 54th Massachusetts Infantry. One of the first African American regiments recruited during the war, this regiment's story was told, in part, in the award-winning 1989 movie "Glory." When the regiment was first organized and first marched off to war, there were more men from Pennsylvania in its ranks than from any other state, including more than 100 men who hailed from places like Mercersburg, Shippensburg, Carlisle, Middletown, Columbia, and Harrisburg.

Hoptak has worked as an interpreter and educator with the National Park Service since 2006, first at Antietam National Battlefield and, since 2012, at Gettysburg National Military Park. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, including "The Battle of South Mountain" and "Confrontation at Gettysburg."

The lecture is free. There is a fee for the dinner, payable at the door; however, anyone wishing to attend the dinner should make reservations by Monday, Feb. 12, by contacting Brian Foster at hcwrt.membership@gmail.com or 717-962-6122.

For more information, visit https://harrisburgcwrt.org or contact Stephen Smith, programs chair, at 717-433-0209.