Look down the schedule of events for this year’s Civil War on the Western Frontier, and you’ll realize: This isn’t just about North and South, slave and free, Union and Confederate.

In fact, many of the speakers and events attempt to get people thinking outside the stereotypes usually associated with Civil War historians.

“We really wanted to bring in different perspectives,” says Rebecca Phipps, director of the Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass.

This is the 11th year for the events and the second with the Watkins Museum taking the lead. The lineup ranges from historical lectures to a 10K run.

It also includes a variety of topics not typically covered in Civil War discussions. For instance, there are lectures on children during the Civil War, black soldiers fighting for the Confederacy and how the war affected American Indians displaced from their homelands and living in Kansas.

Guest historians include James Marten of Marquette University and James O. Horton of George Washington University.

“We want people to realize the role Douglas County and Lawrence in particular played in Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War and the development of the United States,” Phipps says. “This is significant.”

Also on the schedule are re-enactments of Civil War camps, movies, historical tours, a concert, children’s story times and a recreation of an 1864 presidential debate between Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan.

The events are supported by a $2,000 grant from the Kansas Humanities Council.

Phipps says she’s hoping to continue adding to the events affiliated with Civil War on the Western Frontier, especially social and participatory events.

“We’re stepping it up,” she says.

Event listings

Thursday

7:30 p.m.: “The Ballad of Black Jack,” musical, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H. Call 843-2787 for ticket information.

Friday

10:30 a.m.-noon: Film “The Stranger Wore a Gun,” Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

4 p.m.: “In Her Own Voice,” presentation on Sophia Cobb Mayo, a pioneer who lived in Douglas County, by Mary Hawkins of the Spencer Research Library at Kansas University, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass., free.

7:30 p.m.: “The Ballad of Black Jack,” musical, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H. Call 843-2787 for ticket information.

Saturday

9 a.m.-11 a.m.: Documentary “Children’s Games of the 1860s,” with games available for children, South Park. Free.

10:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m.: Documentary “Torched by Fire: Bleeding KS,” Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass.

1:30 p.m.: Tour of historic Lecompton led by Charlene Winter and Paul Bahnmaier, starts at Territorial Capitol Museum, 640 E. Woodson St., Lecompton. Free.

2 p.m.-4 p.m.: Little Women Tea, with period activities and games, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Cost is $15 per person.

3:30 p.m.: “No Medals, No Monuments: Children During the Civil War,” presentation by James Marten of Marquette University, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

7:30 p.m.: “The Ballad of Black Jack,” musical, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H. Call 843-2787 for ticket information.

Aug. 13

1:30 p.m.: Tour of historic Lecompton led by Charlene Winter and Paul Bahnmaier, starts at Territorial Capitol Museum, 640 E. Woodson St., Lecompton. Free.

2:30 p.m.: Douglas County Historical Society membership meeting, open to the public, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

2:30 p.m.: “The Ballad of Black Jack,” musical, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H. Call 843-2787 for ticket information.

3:30 p.m.: “Hurrah, Frei Kansas! Germans and the Struggle Against Slavery in Kansas Territory, 1854-1861,” presentation by Bill Keel of Kansas University, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

Aug. 14

9 a.m.-11 a.m.: “Kids, Let’s Build a Mud Fort, Day 1,” a workshop to teach children about the history of mud forts and how to construct a fort, Lawrence Visitor Center, 402 N. Second St. Call 832-7930 for cost information.

Aug. 15

9 a.m.-11 a.m.: “Kids Let’s Build a Mud Fort, Day 2,” workshop to build a mud fort at Constant Park. Call 832-7930 for cost information.

Noon-1:30 p.m.: Movie, “Arizona Raiders,” Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

3 p.m.: “Behind the Scenes: The Making of ‘Bad Blood,'” presentation by Pam Reichart, writer and producer for new Border War documentary, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

7 p.m.: “Black Confederates: Forgotten Heroes of the South,” presentation by retired Lt. Col. Edwin L. Kennedy Jr., Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

Aug. 16

2 p.m.: “Billy Yank: A Common Soldier of the Civil War Union Army,” presentation for children by Herschel and Jacque Stroud, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

7 p.m.: “Nebraska’s Winding Road to Statehood: In the Footsteps of a Female Settler,” presentation by Sara Brandes Crook, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

Aug. 17

4 p.m.: “Caught in the Crossfire: The Emigrant Indians in Bleeding Kansas,” presentation by Dale Nimz, author of “Embattled Lawrence,” Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

7 p.m.: “Faces of the 8th Kansas,” presentation by William McFarland on the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass.

Aug. 18

Noon: “The Shawnee Mission and the Civil War,” presentation by Alisha Cole, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

7 p.m.: “The Battle of Wilson’s Creek; An Examination from a Modern Military Perspective,” presentation by retired Marine Lt. Col. Thomas Zachary, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

Aug. 19

7:30 a.m.: “Quantrill’s Raid Walking Tour,” led by Katie Armitage, starts from Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Call 841-4109 for cost information.

7:30 a.m.: “Quantrill’s Raid Run for History,” 10K run starting at South Park. Call 841-4109 for cost information.

7:45 a.m.: “Quantrill’s Raid Walk/Bike for History,” starts from South Park. Call 841-4109 for cost information.

8 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: Pancake breakfast, South Park. Call 841-4109 for cost information.

9 a.m.: “Quantrill’s Raid Walking Tour,” led by John Jewell, starts from Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Call 841-4109 for cost information.

9 a.m.-6 p.m.: Civil War re-enactment camps, South Park. Free.

10 a.m.: “One was Annie,” reading and discussion by author Lora Reiter, Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. Free.

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: “H is for Honest Abe,” story hour presented by Kerry Lippincott, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

10:30 a.m.-noon: Film “Dark Command,” Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

Noon: “Territorial Newspaper Politics,” presentation by John String, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.

1 p.m.: “Magic Lantern Show,” presented by Gale Wollenberg, Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. Free.

2:30 p.m.: “The Army in 19th Century Kansas,” presentation by James Leiker, Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. Free.

3 p.m.: Play, “Bleeding Kansas,” presented by Lecompton Re-Enactors, South Park Gazebo. Free.

4 p.m.: “Tour and Presentation of Blackjack Battlefield,” led by Kerry Altenbernd, 161 E. 2000 Road, Baldwin. Free.

6:45 p.m.: Old-Fashioned Box Social, auction of boxed dinners prepared by local restaurants, South Park Gazebo.

7 p.m.: Quantrill’s Raid Vigil, Oak Hill Cemetery, 1605 Oak Hill Ave. Free.

7:30 p.m.- 9 p.m.: Concert in the Park, South Park Gazebo. Free.

8:30 p.m.: Rally Parade, down Massachusetts Street to South Park Gazebo.

9 p.m.: “1864 Lincoln-McClellan Presidential Campaign,” with speeches by re-enactors, South Park Gazebo. Free.

Aug. 20

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Civil War re-enactment camps, South Park.

3 p.m.: “Abolition and the Underground Railroad: An Interracial Alliance,” presentation by James O. Horton of George Washington University, Dole Institute of Politics, Kansas University. Free.

3 p.m.-5 p.m.: Civil War Bus Tour led by Katie Armitage, begins at Lawrence Visitors Center, 402 N. Second St. Call 832-7930 for cost information.

Aug. 21

7 p.m.-9 p.m.: “William Clarke Quantrill and the Raid,” re-enactment and discussion led by Charles Walthall, Joseph Houts and Tom Goodrich, Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass. Free.