Normally, the small cottages, cabins, and barns of Chaplin Creek Historic Village in Franklin Grove represent the way of life as it was in northern Illinois in the early to mid-1800s.

But in the last week, volunteers have been turning the clock forward a century as Chaplin Creek transforms into Castelli Romni, a small village in southern Italy in June 1944.

And on Saturday and Sunday, the site will be the scene of the reenactment of a key World War II battle, the Liberation of Rome and the Breakout from Anzio, that helped liberate Europe and secure victory for the Allies.

The Allied breakout from Anzio, Italy, known as Operation Shingle, began May 23, 1944. The Liberation of Rome by the Allies took place June 4, 1944.

The idea to replicate the battle came from one of the groups that regularly reenacts.

“We were approached a little over a year ago by the German reenactors. They heard about Chaplin Creek village. They mentioned that they could have events out there,” said Scott Spangler, event coordinator. “We wanted something a little bit different, and we worked with them. We decided to do the invasion of Italy.”

Spangler said the board of Chaplin Creek Historic Village hosted an event to gauge local businesses’ interest in a World War II reenactment.

“We had the VIP event to see what people thought about it. That was local businesspeople and the village board members. Some of the reenactors came out, and they changed Chaplin Creek into a small French village, and they had civilian reenactors, Germans, Americans, and English. They put on a demonstration for the VIPs and a small battle to show what would be going on. People just loved it,” Spangler said.

The village will open at 9 a.m., and two battle reenactments will take place, starting at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. both days. There is an admission fee of $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. Senior citizens and veterans with proof of service get in for $5. Spangler said there will be food trucks on site both days.

Reenactors representing American and British troops will have camps set up outside of the Chaplin Creek village, and German reenactors will occupy the village.

“People can walk through and see how the soldiers lived during that time. All the soldiers will be in authentic garb, their camps will be set up with period items, and everything is as authentic as it can be,” Spangler said.

He said the battle will be part of Franklin Grove’s USA 250 commemorations.

“We’re honoring our veterans,” Spangler said.

Franklin Grove is the home of Willard Simpson, a 101-year-old World War II veteran. Simpson served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Spangler said Simpson is expected to attend some of the battle events.

The reenactment will feature restored World War II vehicles and guns.

“We’re going to have American and German tanks, trucks, cannons, including the Germans’ most feared ground weapon, the 88 Flak. The 88 Flak has a 16-foot barrel and weighs 27,000 pounds, and has its own running gear. It was a very nasty flak gun. It just tore the bombers to pieces. This thing is huge. It’s a very rare thing to see now. They found two of them in a junkyard in Spain, brought them over here, and made one good one. It will be fired during the battle,” Spangler said.

Spangler said those attending the event should be prepared for some noise.

“Everything is operational, and there will be some big booms and bangs,” he said.