VANDALIA — The Victorian Bonine House at Penn Road and M-60 in Vandalia, home of Underground Railroad stationmasters James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine, will host two annual Underground Railroad Wax Museums on June 6 and June 13.

For the event, students from Portage and Cassopolis research and adopt characters from the Underground Railroad and act them out for visitors. Organizers say it is a unique and charming way to learn the local and regional history of the UGRR.

Stacey Bonine’s fourth grade students from Lakeview Elementary in Portage, Michigan, will present their program “The Underground Railroad — Cass County and Beyond” from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 6.  Students will be stationed around the Bonine House and visitors can go room to room, press the “button” on each character and hear his or her story.  Organizers recommend that visitors get there in time to hear every student. 

Cassopolis students from Sam Adams and Ross Beatty schools, coached by Felomina Patton and Cindy Yawkey, will present their program from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, June 13.  This group elected to do something a little different this year, organziers said. They will present the story of the 1847 Kentucky Slave Raid through the characters that played a part in that infamous event. Visitors will gather in the living room of the Bonine House for performances on the half hour. Those who arrive after the performance has started can tour the Bonine House until the next one.

All are invited to both of these events. Admission and parking are free.  More about the UGRR in Cass County can be found on urscc.org.