KURE BEACH, NC (WECT) – Volunteers are needed to help beautify and preserve Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Saturday, April 6.

According to a press release from the town, this project is a part of Park Day 2013, which is an annual hands-on preservation event created by the Civil War Trust to assist with the maintenance of American’s Civil War sites.

Volunteers aged 10 and up, of all ability levels, are encouraged to participate. Many of the activities are fitting for scout troops, service clubs, church youth groups, and other organizations.

Volunteers are asked to register in advance by calling (910) 458-5538 or emailing john.moseley@ncdcr.gov by March 29, 2013.

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FORT FISHER, NC (WECT) – Fort Fisher, the largest earthen fortification in the Confederacy, once protected the port of Wilmington and the vital blockade running trade on the Cape Fear River. But after two massive bombardments, the Fort fell to a Union infantry assault on January 15, 1865.

With the capture of Fort Fisher, Wilmington's port, "The Lifeline of the Confederacy" was closed to foreign trade. Less than four months later, the war was over.

This weekend is the 148th anniversary of the fall of Fort Fisher, and it will be observed at a location on the northwest corner of the Fort, around the "Bloody Gate," on the left flank of Fort Fisher.

"It really drives the point home the face that his place is worth coming to, worth exploring and finding more about it," said Si Lawrence, of North Carolina's Department of Cultural Resources.