I've said it before and I'll say it again: I sometimes feel I am in my period clothing more than I am in contemporary styles. And the funny thing is...my colonial clothes especially feel very comfortable - more comfortable in many ways than my modern clothing.
I am being serious here.
I am being serious here.
Now, as for my Civil War clothes...that's a little different. They are more akin to wearing a modern suit and tie, which is not my cup of tea. But the squared-off style is much better when I am with others dressed in the same-era fashion, for then we, together, create a "look."
Plus, top hats are pretty cool.
So, let's take a journey through the past - the moments in 2019 that I spent in previous centuries and previous styles - and I've included a few thoughts interjected here and there as well~
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(Much of the following text, of which was modified with my own interjections, came from a book
I recently read called "A Time-Traveler's Guide To Medieval England" by Ian Mortimer. The words expressed in the book fit my thoughts nearly to a " T "):
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~Shhh...I'm Hunting Redcoats~
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It is in this way we can be reminded that history is much more than a strictly educational process. Truly understanding the past is a matter of experience as well as knowledge; it is a striving to make a spiritual, emotional, poetic, dramatic, and inspirational connection with our forebears. It is about our personal reactions to the challenges of living in previous centuries and earlier cultures, and our understanding of what makes one century different from another. We know what love, fear, pain, anger, grief, sadness, and anxiety is like today. Those in the past knew as well. This is the human relation we have with our forebears.
To accomplish this sort of living history/reenacting is to use, utilize, and include many different source materials, especially primary sources (no, a Hollywood movie is, by far, the least "source" you would ever want to use). It is also necessary, in my opinion, to research everyday life of the period in a thorough manner and, where no primary sources are available, one can use this external knowledge gained of the time as well as using reason to help to bring certain aspects of the past to life. By reason I mean to get your head, as best as you can, out of today - out of modern thought - and into the realm of your knowledge of the past (hence, the importance of actual research by way of journals, letters, diaries, and broadsides - many of which are available in book form---click HERE).
And then there is the clothing and striving to improve on what you wear---again, through research. Otherwise you are simply just hanging out with friends at a costume party - nothing more.
And to invade the past with today's thoughts, biases, and other modernisms can, simply put, greatly ruin the impression you have spent so much time and money to perfect...for everyone, and though impossible to extract all modern thinking, we should at the very least do our best to keep as much of this at bay as possible.
Unfortunately, the modern world doesn't always cooperate. Airplanes may fly overhead. Smoke alarms can be seen inside historic buildings. Fire extinguishers, cell phones, sometimes electric lights, cars, cameras...and even supposed living historians themselves who can't seem to keep from speaking of modernisms (or wearing wristwatches), all may intrude on your experience and become a reminder that you are not truly in the past, much in the same way the 1979 penny did for Richard in the movie "Somewhere In Time."
The intrusions are infinite, but I do my best to try not to be a part of or notice them.
And that makes my job much harder.
But maybe if I can break on through to that other side, you can, too.
So let us begin this journey to the 1860s, the 1770s, and even the 1760s:
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| January: My wife and I at the 21st Michigan period-dress Christmas party. |
As for February - - -
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| February: I had some photographic fun setting up a few scenarios out of the past, especially on such a snowy day as we had here, which certainly made for a fine backdrop to the cozy candle. |
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| February: I ordered my first gun directly after Christmas, and it arrived in early February. So I brought it up to Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne to show a few of my reenacting friends during one of the 1st Pennsylvania's sewing days. Ken's 1st musket - a replicated 1760 fusil. |
Tony, head of Michigan's 1st Pennsylvania Rev War unit, mentioned that he would like to see at least one period-dress gathering a month during the off-season, for it continues the excitement, research, and want of what we do.
I agree.
And therefore I fully participate in the smaller more intimate events, such as Tony's celebration of George Washington's birthday.
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| February: In February we also celebrated George Washington's birthday. It was another great excuse to get together with friends of the same ilk and plan for future events. |
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| February: I had my first planning meeting with Mill Race Village in Northville concerning my hope for our first ever Patriot's Day event. So naturally, I showed up dressed correctly and brought my musket along as well. |
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| March: Larissa and I did a colonial farm life presentation for the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Neither Larissa nor I are descended from Revolutionary War soldiers, so it was quite an honor to be in this room with so many who were. |
And March continued in the same manner:
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| March: I always try to hold my annual Citizens of the American Colonies meeting before the Kalamazoo Living History Show in hopes that talking and building up the coming events would entice our members who are not quite ready to reenact yet to get themselves ready. And it usually works to some extent. |
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| March: Speaking of the Kalamazoo Living History Show, here I am in one of the great halls with my friend Karen. |
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| March: Also at the Kalamazoo Living History Show are other members of Citizens of the American Colonies who have even set up shop to sell items to the public. |
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| March: ~Kalamazoo Living History Show My new coat from Samson's Historical. The coolest thing about this jacket is that it really has the feel and look of one that was handsewn. Impressive! |
April...one of the most historical months of the year:
~The Revolutionary War began (April 19, 1775)
~George Washington became our 1st President (April 30, 1789)
~The Civil War both began and ended (April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865)
~President Lincoln was assassinated (April 15, 1865)
~The Titanic sank (April 15, 1912)
and Ken & friends were continuously time traveling - - -
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| April: Patriots Presentation for a local High School that took place on April 18. And it was a very good date to have such a presentation for it was on the night of April 18, 1775 that Paul Revere took his most famous of warning rides. Having Benjamin Franklin and Sybil Ludington there topped the presentation off. |
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April:
Greenfield Village~
The very next day after our Patriot's presentation was the actual
Patriot's Day itself - April 19 - the date the first battles of
the American Revolution took place.
Want to know the coolest thing for me about this day?
Well, I was actually standing at the door of the Thomas
Plympton home, just as Abel Prescott stood at that very
same door on that same date in 1775 to warn Mr. Plympton
of the imminent coming of the Regulars. Abel's brother
was Samuel Prescott, who, just a few hours earlier, rode with Paul Revere himself! |
I have to admit, it does give me a very special feeling knowing that I can visit and even enter actual homes that were built before the time of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride, before the Boston Massacre, before the Boston Tea Party, before the Intolerable, Townshend, & Stamp Acts, and even before the French & Indian War...and also to think that these houses of Plympton & Giddings (as well as the Daggett house), which now stand inside Greenfield Village, were around during the time of George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, the American Revolution, and of the time of the Declaration of Independence! And I have little doubt that discussions involving the topics of the day had taken place inside these walls by the original owners.
It may not mean much to you East Coasters, but to us here in the upper midwest, it is a big deal.
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| April: Greenfield Village~ In Michigan, there are few better places to be on Patriot's Day dressed the way you see me than amongst these colonial homes inside Historic Greenfield Village, including the Giddings House you see here. |
Speaking of Patriot's Day - - guess what we put together?
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| April: Patriot's Day Commemoration~ I've planned it in my head for quite some time before, then I spoke to the right people in reenacting and at Mill Race Village. And we did it---we put on a reenactment of the Battles of Lexington & Concord, right here in Michigan (albeit on a much smaller scale than Massachusetts). But it was still very cool, as historically correct as we could be, and a whole lot of fun. |
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| April: Patriot's Day Commemoration~ The Cady Inn became our Buckman's Tavern. |
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| April: Patriot's Day Commemoration~ Some of the ladies put out a small spread of food for the militia a-waiting for the Redcoats to arrive. |
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| April: Patriot's Day Commemoration~ On Lexington Green. |
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| April: Patriot's Day Commemoration~ The good people who made the past come to life. The Redcoats left right after the Concord battle so they were not part of this group picture. This coming year I hope to get a photo of all who participate. |
So, as April was a busy month for the Revolutionary War, May would prove to be a busy month for reenactors of the Civil War:
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| May: And it began with the joyous celebration of the marriage of Andy & Sue! They asked that any reenactors attending to feel free to dress in their 1860s finest. |
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| May: As it was a period-dress affaire, my wife and I were glad to don our finest 1860s fashions. |
And now we head back to Greenfield Village:
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| May: Civil War Remembrance at Greenfield Village~ One of the biggest and best of the midwest CW reenactments, and most of the membership of the 21st Michigan tends to show up. We always try to get a group photo. One day - one day - we will get a shot with everyone in it! |
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| May: Civil War Remembrance at Greenfield Village~ With all of the historic structures inside Greenfield Village, it is not too difficult to come up with a few realistic scenarios to help make the past come to life, such as the Smiths Creek Train Depot. |
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| May: Civil War Remembrance at Greenfield Village~ And it hardly gets more authentic than having your picture taken with an actual tintype camera. |
As we now head into June, the spring weather thus far, aside from a few days of sun here and there, had been filled with rain. Record rainfall fell over the upper midwest region. We were pretty lucky, however, for our reenactments had been *mostly* dry, though we did have some rainfall for parts of the Voyageur reenactment early in the month. In fact, my van got stuck in the mud as I tried to leave. I sunk deep enough that I had to wait for a tow truck to pull me out.
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| June: Voyageur Encampment~ I was feeling ill so the good doctor bled me a bit to balance my humours. |
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| June: Voyageur Encampment~ It was here that I fired a musket for the first time. No, it was not my musket, unfortunately. The firing of that one would come soon enough. |
June was a switcheroo month, finding me bouncing from the 21st century to the 18th century then back up to the 19th century.
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| June: Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne - Civil War~ This was a wonderful presentation showing the mustering in of the 2nd Michigan during the early 1860s. |
Same place-different date and time period:
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| June: Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne - Rev War~ I love speaking to the visitors about the Declaration of Independence, especially noting that this was the first time we see our country's new name: The United States of America! |
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| July 4: 4th of July Celebration at Mill Race Village~ Independence Day is second only to Christmas to me, as far as Holidays go. And our celebrations and commemorations at Mill Race Village have become a highlight of my reenacting year. I look forward to this as much as any regular reenactment. Just look at how we can make the streets of Mill Race come alive as if one were viewing a scene from the 18th century. |
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July 4:
4th of July Celebration at Mill Race Village~
Portrayals of Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and Paul Revere
were on hand to help teach the public a bit about their lives and accomplishments during this wonderfully tumultuous time. |
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July 4:
4th of July Celebration at Mill Race Village~
Members of the 1st Pennsylvania were also on hand to teach a bit
on the Revolutionary War itself as well as the guns used. |
Later in the month of July and I found myself in Frankenmuth, Michigan at the Rev War reenactment there.
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| July: Frankenmuth~ Okay...this here is a combination of about four different pictures - the main shot of the carriage with Jackie and I is from the displayed carriage in Frankenmuth, the horses are from Greenfield Village, and the back and foreground were taken at Colonial Williamsburg. Put them all together and this is what you get! |
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| July: Frankenmuth~ Another fun picture I took in Frankenmuth was of the Royal Highland Regiment. Note the carriage. |
Wait---but there was still another July event!
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| July: Colonial Fort Wayne, Indiana~ Where I was able to take part in the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. |
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| July: Colonial Fort Wayne, Indiana~ These young ladies are both big fans of Paul Revere, so they were both very excited to meet me. And I was honored to meet them as well. |
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| July: Something very cool happened to me late in July - I was honored to have been presented a "Certificate of Commemoration in Recognition of Exemplary Patriotism in the Display of The Flag of the United States of America" by the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). They enjoyed that I display historic American flags off my front porch throughout the summer months. I truly am honored, especially coming from the SAR. Yes, that is most of my family you see here for this "official" picture. Only my eldest son could not make it. |
It worked.
So, now...let's head into August, a month that only leaves me one weekend in modern clothing, for all others I am in the past:
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| August: Port Sanilac~ My lovely and patriotic wife & I. I love it when she joins me on my past excursions. |
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| August: Port Sanilac~ The Port Sanilac Fashion Show is not only for the high fashions, but to show the wide range of everyday life of the 1860s. |
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| August: Port Oneida - Sleeping Bear Dunes~ Larissa and I do four Victorian farming presentations for the agricultural fair on an actual historic farm in this northern Michigan community. Though it's quite a drive, it is so worth it! Rather than show us presenting, I kinda like this picture of us near a farm stand for something a little different. |
And the very next day after Port Oneida - - - -
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| August: Colonial Kensington~ A decently large reenactment held at Kensington Metro Parks, I bust butt to get there first thing in the morning to get my tent & fly up before the public begins coming through. And I always have room for the Citizens of the American Colonies! |
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| August: Colonial Kensington~ We both wear our braids well, but Christy's is a bit longer. I'll catch up... |
And a couple weeks later I was set up at another Metro Park for the Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs event, which is not too far from my home.
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ My wife brought along her spinning wheel. If you notice, Patty doesn't reenact nearly as much as I do. I don't push her to, so when she does, all the better. |
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ Both Patty and Larissa went out onto the choppy waters of Lake St. Clair in the canoe with a number of other reenactors. Patty may not reenact often, but when she does she makes the best of it! |
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ Young master EJ was carrying buckets of water for his mother. Yeah...doing it right! |
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ This was the day I finally shot my musket for the first time. Yeah...pretty cool. |
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ Larissa and I also presented colonial farm life at this event, where we speak of our everyday lives on the farm, our chores, and the chores of "our" kids. |
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| August: Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs~ Hunting and farming. We do look the part. |
And, yet, another reenactment in August!
Yes, this is one of my busiest months!
I came upon this event quite by accident, and I am certainly glad I did, for we were able to utilize an actual rare-for-Michigan 18th century building for a couple of scenarios.
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| August: Monroe Revolutionary War Reenactment~ We were in the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post, which was built in 1789! It doesn't get much better than this. |
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August:
Monroe Revolutionary War Reenactment~
In the same structure there was what may have been a
tavern at one time, so that was our next scenario. I asked a woman if she would pose as my wife to portray tavern owners for a few of our photos, and I am happy to say she did, for the pictures we took there turned out very fine indeed. |
Finally we can move into September:
Many of you may know that I added a sort of historical room onto our house 20 years ago, and that is the one place we try to keep as period as we can. Well, this past May I modified the Victoriana look a bit to give a portion of the room a colonial feel.
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| September: Ken's Gathering Room~ Apples for pie and cider. |
But I did have a period-dress day in September.
October, however, found me in old fashions more than one time:
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| October: Vermillion Creek~ A new event...sort of. This is the replacement for Uncle John's Mill, which took place the previous three years. Vermillion Creek is much more rustic, so I hope that it can continue on, for it was very well done. |
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| October: Vermillion Creek~ Yes! We finally have American Indians at a reenactment! |
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October:
Textile arts was well represented. Vermillion Creek~ The only thing missing was a loom. |
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| October: Vermillion Creek~ George Washington was there as well. He was larger than life...and larger than Susan and me! |
Since 2014, the civilians of the 21st Michigan have been hosting an 1860s Harvest Home presentation, whether at a reenactment or at a fall festival. This is where we show modern visitors some of the activities that went on during the fall harvest time of year.
This year, though many of our members chickened out due to cooler temperatures, we who did take part were quite the hit in the small town of Armada.
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| October: Harvest Home in Armada~ My wife, Patty, brought along her spinning wheel. In previous Harvest Homes she has dyed wool using natural dyes. This time she made it a bit easier on herself and just spun wool into yarn. |
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| October: Harvest Home in Armada~ Aside from speaking on heirloom apples and candle making, I played a little old-time music on the lap dulcimer. |
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October:
The participants of Harvest Home also get to eat a fine traditional Harvest Home in Armada~ autumn meal...this year in beautiful autumn weather. It was perfect! |
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| October: Harvest Home in Armada~ This just might be my favorite picture of the year: me and my bride! |
Shortly after our 1860s Harvest Home presentation, Tony put on a Colonial Harvest Dance!
A fair amount of people showed up, though we were hoping that more would come. They certainly missed a fine country dance, they did - - their loss.
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| October: Colonial Harvest Dance~ The participants for the Golden Lion Country Dance. We certainly had a grand time indeed! |
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| October: Colonial Harvest Dance~ And we certainly danced! |
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| October: Colonial Harvest Dance~ During a band break, friends took to chatting. It made for a great picture. |
Now we are in November. There are no reenactments in November...or are there?
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| November: Paint Creek Folklore Society~ Larissa and I showing our Life on a Colonial Farm presentation. |
And the other presentation was for the 8th grade students at Beer Middle School.
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| November: Beer Middle School~ |
And while we're still in November, I put together a last minute gathering of friends at Mill Race Village. We had an early snowfall and the ground was still covered a bit, which made for a fine later fall day in the past.
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| November: Mill Race Village~ Walking along the dirt road to the Inn. |
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| November: Mill Race Village~ It may have been cold outdoors, but inside the Cady Inn was warm and friendly. A very good game of checkers took place. |
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| November: Mill Race Village~ Those who came out and enjoyed being with friends. Sometimes these last minute loosely put together "events" can be every bit as good as those that are planned. It was a splendid gathering of friends. |
A week after Mill Race and I was back at Greenfield Village...again, in my period clothes:
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| November: Greenfield Village~ A number of us enjoyed another autumn day in the past toward the end of November. In this picture my friend (and historical GFV presenter), Rebecca, and I are walking to the Daggett break-back house, built in 1750 and presented as 1760. |
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| November: Greenfield Village~ In the above picture I am visiting with Rebecca and Gigi, who is another presenter of the Daggett House. No, there were not any visitors there yet so we could take a few minutes to speak. |
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| November: Greenfield Village~ It was wool dyeing weekend at the Daggett Farm. I always enjoy watching and learning their processes. |
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| November: Greenfield Village~ They laughed in the 18th century, too! |
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November:
Greenfield Village~
Finishing harvesting the yield from the kitchen garden.
(No, we really did not pick anything - it just looked that way) |
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| November: Greenfield Village~ Our fine meal at the Eagle Tavern |
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| November: Greenfield Village~ Sitting by the roaring fire in the kitchen of the tavern. Actually, I am really not. Well, yes, I am sitting in front of the original hearth of the Eagle tavern, but there was no fire in it. A little photo-magic... |
Now we head into December, and it is Christmas time.
This means many of my days are spent with my period vocal group, Simply Dickens.
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| December: Simply Dickens~ The best-dressed period vocal group out there! |
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| December: Simply Dickens~ At the Dickens Festival in Holly, Michigan |
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| December: Simply Dickens~ Normally we are in our 1860s Victorian style clothing for our performances. However, I don my colonial clothing when we perform for the Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs, being that they are mainly an 18th century reenacting group, this is my nod to them. |
I've dressed up to perform with Simply Dickens a total of seven different days in December 2019. If you add the other days I wore period clothing (in the pictures below), you will see I was in period clothing 10 out of 31 days.
I've done more in other years, but still not bad.
A number of us have been doing Christmas at the Fort in Detroit for a decade now. This is where we create a reenacting family, fall into immersion, and make Christmas 1860s come alive for the touring guests.
This year, however, it was not to be. There was a problem with the heat in the holding building where the guests begin their tour and it could not be used.
The event was cancelled...sigh...
I had to let my fellow living historians know, and here are some of the responses I got in return:
Larissa wrote: "What?????? So sad. It’s the highlight of my holidays."
Carrie wrote: "Yeah not to get too depressing here, but Christmas at the fort officially kicks off the holiday season for me."
Yeah...it does for me, too.
So I went to work in asking if we could still celebrate Christmas the way we always do, inside the historic home we usually are given, only without the visiting public.
The answer was a resounding YES!
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| December: Christmas at the Fort~ Here is my 1860s family: On the left - cousin, mother-in-law, and wife. On the right - daughter, younger sister, and older sister. A few years ago we chose the surname "Logan" for our family name. We felt it was better than using one of our own names and simply made it easier and perhaps even a bit less uncomfortable. |
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| December: Christmas at the Fort~ Per our normal routine, we sang carols as the pump organ was played and decorated our Christmas Tree. |
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December:
Christmas at the Fort~
There is a core group of us who have been working inthis capacity for the past 10 years. We do feel like a real family of the 1860s, for we keep in our immersion roles as best and as long as we can, whether or not there are modern visitors coming around. |
And that's where the living history shines.
A winter's day in a deep and dark December - - - -
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| December: Ken at Home~ I had my wife take a few pictures of me writing with a quill and ink in my hand-made leather- bound book by candle light. It's 1770 -- alive again! |
My reenacting year ended on December 27, the day a few of us went to celebrate Christmas and New Year's at Greenfield Village's Holiday Nights.
This is another great opportunity to dress for the cold and enjoy Christmas past.
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| December: Holiday Nights~ Even though the Eagle Tavern is not from the 18th century, the architectural style fits the period well, so a picture along these lines works quite well (though a tavern of the period may not have had wreaths on the windows). |
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| December: Holiday Nights~ Now here is an accurate portrayal: I am being greeted at the front door of an 18th century home by a woman of that era. This. Right here. |
I so enjoy looking through the previous year's reenacting photos. I am always amazed at just how many events I take part in...and how much fun they all are. As I gaze at the images from each of the events I participated in, it makes me even more excited about the coming year: I have a new year in the past to look forward to (did you catch what I did there? The three time-travel switches?). As many like to say this time of year, I have 365 blank calendar days (366 this year) to fill, and many of those days will find me traipsing through the past.
That's my hobby. That's my solace. That's my fun.
Until next time, see you in time.
Thank you to all of the photographers who took the many pictures. Yes, most are from my camera, but there were others, such as B&K Photography and Lynn Anderson (among others), who also added to the collection.
I began my sort of yearbook of reenacting a few years ago, so if you are interested in a some of my previous excursions, just click the year below:
2016 - colonial
2016 - Civil War
2017 - combination
2018 - combination
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