The big guns are being rolled out at the Alamo this weekend, as the Shrine of Texas Liberty takes the first step in its evolution to an international destination, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
'Cannon Fest' will invite visitors and locals alike to come to the Alamo to explore the cannon and the artillery used during the Texas Revolution.
"Certainly we want to get a lot more of the local interested in coming out more often, with a lot of new, fun activities that are at the Alamo," said Becky Dinnin, who heads the Alamo Endowment.
The celebration, which runs from Saturday and will conclude with a special visit by Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, whose office owns and manages the Alamo, on Monday.
Included will include four manned artillery displays, interactive drills for kids, photo ops, and living history demonstrations.
Dinnin says unlike any other American battlefields like Gettysburg, Bunker Hill, and Fort McHenry, the Alamo holds a number of actual cannon that are known to have been fired during the 1836 battle.
"Its very unique to have a battle site to have so many of the cannons that were actually used during the battle," she said. "And we have seven of the 21 cannon that were documented to be present. It is very exciting."
Cannon Fest is also the first step in the long term 're-imagining' of the Alamo and Alamo Plaza which began in 2012.
The plans are to completely renovate the Plaza, adding new enhancements for visitors, reworking the 'Crockett Block' of buildings across Alamo Street, closing the street to vehicle traffic, and making the Alamo, which is already one of the most visited attractions in the country, into a truly monumental historical site.
The first dirt in the reconstruction of Alamo Plaza is expected to be turned sometime in 2018, and the entire project will be done by 2023.