In the shadow of a vessel that played an important role in the greatest amphibious invasion in history, re-enactors will bring D-Day to life this June in Evansville, Ind.

Held along the Ohio River near the LST-325 where it is docked at Marina Pointe in Evansville, the D-Day Re-enactment will be held the weekend of June 2–3 with dozens of American and German World War II re-enactors from several Midwestern states. Rifle reports will echo, smoke will waft over the battleground and battle cries will resound during two re-enactments each day. Visitors can watch the battles unfold from stands nearby.

The LST (Landing Ship, Tank) is an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores. The LST-325 was used extensively during World War II. Indeed, between June 1944 and April 1945, it made 44 trips between England and France, unloading at Omaha, Utah, Gold and Juno beaches, which were part of the D-Day invasion.

After World War II, the ship was used in military operations in the Arctic and later transferred to the Greek Navy. When the ship was decommissioned in 2000, the USS LST Ship Memorial, composed of a group of veterans and naval history enthusiasts, acquired the ship to preserve it and brought it to Evansville where visitors today can take tours of the historic craft.

During the re-enactments, many of the soldiers will land on the shore in “Higgins” boats, which were the small craft used to land troops on the beach during D-Day. The “Higgins” boats that the USS LST Ship Memorial own were used in the filming of the recent movie “Flags of our Fathers” in Iceland.

The re-enactments will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day. In addition, there will be a World War II Stagedoor Canteen on Saturday evening at the marina.

The marina is located off Waterworks Road just southwest of downtown. For details, call (812) 435-8678, or visit www.lstmemorial.org.

Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough observed that “you can understand more about our nation by spending a day in Independence and at the Truman Library than anywhere else in the country.”

That may be even more true this summer as the Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Mo., celebrates its 50th anniversary with a slate of events and exhibitions to commemorate the enduring legacy of President Harry S. Truman. Among the festivities will be a keynote address by former President Bill Clinton in late June or early July (details were not available at press time).

Other anniversary highlights will include appearances by leading authors and historians Michael Beschloss (May 18) and McCullough (June 13). Also this summer, the museum will break ground for a new permanent exhibition featuring Harry Truman’s working office at the library. On July 4, museum admission is free, as are Truman-related giveaways. At the end of the day, visitors can enjoy Independence’s fireworks display near the Truman historic district.

Additionally, the museum will unveil a new exhibition on May 1, “Treasures of the Presidents,” that will illuminate the office of the president. Drawing on the collections of the nation’s presidential libraries, it will feature more than 200 treasures, including gifts from heads of state, campaign memorabilia, personal items from first families, documents that shaped the course of history and more. The exhibit will run through Jan. 4, 2008.

The museum, located at 500 W. US Highway 24, is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Saturday and noon–5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for children 6–18. Call 1-800-833-1225, or visit www.trumanlibrary.org.

A brilliant soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte fought his way across Europe, taking control of country after country through conquest or alliance, but along the way he helped create something other than empires: art.

While serving as emperor of France in the early 1800s, Napoleon and his designers adopted emblems of power from ancient cultures such as Egypt, Greece and Rome, visually and conceptually linking his reign with great civilizations of the past. They used bold forms, strong color and monumental scale to convey imperial grandeur.

Examples of that imperial grandeur will be part of the exhibition, “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800–1815,” on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum opening June 17. The exhibition is a definitive survey of the decorative arts of the Empire style, which was created during Bonaparte’s reign in 19th-century France.

Drawing extensively from French collections, the exhibition showcases more than 140 works of decorative art, including furniture, silver, bronze, porcelain, jewelry and textiles, in addition to drawings, paintings and sculpture. Many of the works have never been exhibited outside France, including several objects from royal residences at Versailles, Fontainebleau and Malmaison.

On view through Sept. 16, the exhibit will then travel to Boston and finally to Paris.

The museum is located in Forest Park at One Fine Arts Drive. Admission to the exhibition is $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors and $6 for children 6–12. Hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday and 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on Friday. For details, call (314) 721-0072, or visit www.slam.org.

With hardwood forests, serene trails and scenic Mississippi River views, Trail of Tears State Park stands in sharp contrast to its tragic history as a site on the path of the forced relocation of thousands of Cherokee Indians in the 1800s.

The park, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, serves not only as a place to enjoy the great outdoors but as a memorial to the Native Americans who died in that grievous period in American history. To mark its anniversary, the park will hold a weekend celebration June 1–3 featuring hikes, presentations on the park’s history and a folk music concert on Saturday night. The main celebration will be on Saturday, June 2.

The park is in southeast Missouri where nine of 13 groups of Cherokee Indians crossed the Mississippi River in the winter of 1838–39 on their way to Oklahoma. Thousands of Indians lost their lives on the trail, and a memorial in the park pays tribute to them.

The 3,415-acre park features a visitors center, campgrounds, picnic sites, a lake, Mississippi River overlook and trails.

The park is located near Jackson off Highway 177. For details, call (573) 334-1711, or visit www.mostateparks.com.

Collinsville, Ill., is holding a tangy celebration this summer to match the spicy flavor of the festival’s namesake: the horseradish.

In its 21st year, the International Horseradish Festival will pay tribute to the pungent root during the weekend of June 9–10 in the city’s Woodland Park. The festival draws visitors from around the region for fun, entertainment, food and drink–all in the name of the potent member of the mustard family.

Southern Illinois is a major contributor to the world’s horseradish supply, and Collinsville is often referred to as the Horseradish Capital of the World. German immigrants planted the first crops in the 1800s, and the distinctive plant has been thriving ever since.

To honor the root’s deep hold on Collinsville, the festival will feature a number of games and events using horseradishes, including a root toss, root-sacking contest and a root derby where contestants make little cars using the root as a chassis. There will also be horseradish cooking and bloody mary competitions.

Also, musical entertainment will be featured all weekend, and a children’s area will include pony rides, a bouncy house and game booths. Plus, the new Collinsville Historical Museum will bring part of its exhibition about the horseradish to the festival.

Woodland Park is located off Pine Lake Road just east of the intersection of Vandalia Street and Beltline Road. Call (618) 344-2884 or click on www.horseradishfestival.com for more details.