Members of the Eastern History Club plan to travel to Fishers, Ind. Friday to participate in an interactive event that simulates escaping slavery in the 1830s.

“Follow the North Star” is a nationally acclaimed program offered by the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park where participants will take on the role of a fugitive slave traveling through the Underground Railroad to freedom.

Samantha Sauer, a senior history major and the president of the History Club, said they have been discussing the trip since November and 11 members of the History Club plan to participate in the event.

“This is our biggest event of the spring and members will be able to take a walk in the shoes of African Americans in the 1830s who would be fighting for freedom on the Underground Railroad,” Sauer said. “This will give them a chance to actually experience what we learn in class and what we have read in books.”

Sauer said the History Club participated in the “Follow the North Star” program two years ago and she thought it would be good to do again and bond as a group.

Hilary Graves, a junior psychology major and member of the History Club, said she thinks it will be interesting to be put in a completely different mindset.

“None of us have been put in that kind of situation before and I think I will have more of an open mind after we do it,” Graves said. “I am looking forward to gaining more knowledge on something that I have never been exposed to.”

The “Follow the North Star” program started in 1998 and, since then 55,000 people have participated in the event.

Anthony Ernst, a junior pre-engineering major and member of the History Club, said instead of just talking about history, they will have the opportunity to try and experience a piece of history.

“The trip will give us the chance to acquire some insight into how slaves were treated throughout our nation’s history,” Ernst said. “A lot of the time history is presented in a dispassionate and scholarly manner so this will definitely be a unique experience.”

Sauer said the people who run the “Follow the North Star” program are very dedicated to their work to provide a realistic experience.

“The experience is very dramatic and draining,” Sauer said. “Two years ago, we were shouted at with hurtful and abrasive language while performing tasks like picking up firewood and we could hear dogs barking and a gun going off in the background.”

Sauer said coordinators at the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park perform the event at night to have more of a scary environment for the participants.

“It is a very engrossing experience because so much is going on and they are very successful in creating an intense atmosphere,” Sauer said.

Sauer said the event is about 90 minutes and the History Club members will participate as a group.

“People do not get to experience events like this often so I think it will be a once in a lifetime experience,” Ernst said.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or rjrodgers@eiu.edu