After Check-In and Orientation enjoy songs of comfort from the Civil War era performed by a local musician. Then see the arms and equipment of the Civil War soldier as presented by local re-enactors.

Arrive To: CHECK IN: You may check from 1:00-3:00pm.

PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you get your room assignment, please come over to the Road Scholar desk in the conference center lobby to register with the program staff and pick up your arrival packet containing the most up-to-date schedule and program information that we’ll review during our orientation session.

ORIENTATION: Begins at 3:00pm. You'll have an informative overview of the program schedule plus an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants during an introductory get-acquainted session. We’ll review the updated schedule, answer any questions you may have, and discuss responsibilities, safety guidelines, and emergency procedures.

After a weary day of travel find your own comfort in one of the many ways soldiers have on the eve of battle (or during one of the many other hardships they face) as we listen songs of comfort and home. A live performance by a local musician will be held after the orientation. The song selection will include music from the era of the Civil War.

Dinner: Enjoy a buffet style dinner with full salad bar and delicious dessert. The spacious Dining Hall provides a panoramic view of fields, surrounding woods, and often wildife. The meals prepared by our exceptional food service staff include vegetarian options and other choices appropriate to our global community.

Evening: EVENING PROGRAM: Caring for soldiers and veterans should not just be an afterthought. See how soldiers of the Civil War were prepared for batlle and life at camp as local re-enactors talk about the arms and equipment of a Civl War soldier. A hands on presentation and questions session allows participants to see, feel, and better understand the lives of the common Civil War soldier.

Lodging: Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry Center

Meals Included: Dinner

See Antietam Battlefield itself then travel to the National Museum for Civil War Medicine (NMCWM)*. Enjoy a presentation by the staff from the NMCWM in the evening. * The National Museum of Health and Medicine may be selected as an alternate to the NMCWM

Note: Riding in a vehicle for an hour at a time. Walking and standing in and out of doors.

Breakfast: Enjoy breakfast in the Dining Hall with choices of hot entrees, cereal, and fresh fruit.

Morning: FIELD TRIP & PRESENTATION: We will begin the morning with a brief exploration of Antietam Battlefield. Seeing the battlefield firsthand and learning of the hardships the men faced. Afterwards we will head to Frederick, MD across South Mountain to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine (Note: An alternate museum, the National Museum of Health and Medicine, may be selected at the discretion of the program provider)

Lunch: We'll have lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: See how the carnage of the Civil War brought about improvements of medical care at the National Civil War Medicine Museum (Note: An alternate museum, the National Museum of Health and Medicine, may be selected at the discretion of the program provider). This museum covers the care for Civil War soldiers from the frontlines to rehabilitation with exhibits on modern day care for soldiers. Participants are free to peruse the museum on their own or go with one of the musuems docents.

Dinner: Enjoy a buffet style dinner with full salad bar in the Dining Hall of the conference center.

Evening: PRESENTATION: Learn about the civilian reponse to soldiers in need during a presentation by staff of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. The museum is the premier center for the preservation and research of the legacy of Civil War medical innovation. Our nation's most devastating conflict led to organizations, medicine, and other developments that would come to aid generations of people into this millenium.

Lodging: Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Pry House Field Hospital Museum, Antietam National Cemetery, Programs for Returning Veterans, Luminary Service.

Note: Riding in a vehicle for an hour at a time. Walking and standing in and out of doors.

Breakfast: Enjoy breakfast in the Dining Hall with choices of hot entrees, cereal, and fresh fruit.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Pry House Field Hospital Museum at Antietam, part of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine whose motto is “Divided by Conflict, United by Compassion. you’Here you'll discover further details about field medicine as it was practiced in the Battle of Antietam. Pry House includes a re-creation of an operating theater, interpretive panels and objects relating to the care of wounded, and the effects of the War on civilian population in the area. It is a story of care and healing, courage and devotion amidst the death and destruction of war. It is also a story of major advances that changed medicine forever.

FIELD TRIP: Antietam National Cemetery commemorates the bloodiest one-day battle in American history that resulted in 23,000 casualties (those killed, wounded or missing) after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. The National Cemetery system was created due to the vast casualties of the Civil War. We will not only learn about the aftermath of Antietam itself but the way in which the fallen are honored on these hollowed grounds.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch in our dining room, with hot entrees, salad bar, and dessert.

Afternoon: PRESENTATION: Returning veterans sometimes have trouble reentering the lives they left behind. The church that is affiliated with our facility has started a program in order to help those returning from service readjust to life at home. We will have a presentation from one of its coordinators.

Another way of honoring veterans is hearing and respecting the stories they have to tell of us of their service. Hear one such story from a veteran about his tour of service and his new life back home. Feel free to ask questions, but please be respectful of the soldeir's experience.

Dinner: Enjoy a banquet style dinner in the Shepherd's Spring dining room

Evening: MEMORIAL ILLUMINATION: This evening we remember the 23,000 casualties (killed, wounded, or missing) in one day of battle at Antietam on September 17, 1862. Working in teams, more than a thousand volunteers place 23,000 luminaries around the battlefield. Our motorcoach will take you through the park to view the Memorial Illumination with brief solemn commentary en route. It is a way of not only honoring those who fought at Antietam but a way of honoring those who continue to fight for a nation and cause they believe in. (PLEASE NOTE: The national park service may decide to cancel this luminary service due to severe or inclement weather, while this does not often occur it is a possibility.)

Lodging: Shepherd's Spring Outdoor Ministry Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A presentation by the World War One Memorial Foundation, and a time to share your own involvement with serving the needs of soldiers either as a veteran, a caretaker, or in another capacity.

Breakfast: Enjoy breakfast in the Dining Hall with choices of hot entrees, cereal, and fresh fruit.

Morning: CLOSING SESSION: The program concludes with a presentation by the World War One Memorial Foundation, created by the recently passed veteran Frank Buckles. He had been the last living American veteran of the Great War. This foundation continues his cause to gain a fitting honor on the National Mall for those who served with him for their country and the world during the first World War. An invite to honor any veterans in attendance by letting them share their stories will conclude the program. Conference center check-out is 10:00.

Meals Included: Breakfast