The Kalamazoo Living History Show 2026 & My Colonial Grandkids

The Kalamazoo Living History Show is almost like Christmas for us who live in southern lower Michigan.  It's like having sunshine on a cloudy day.  And when it's cold outside it's like the month of May  (hey---I'm from Motown,  what can I say?  lol).  With there not being too many sunny days this time of year,  besides a few here and there,  Michigan in March is really nothing to write home about.  It's pretty gray and dull for the most part,  and the temps generally are on the cooler side.  So with that being said,  you can see why the Kalamazoo Living History Show is so looked forward to. 

From where I live just north of Detroit,  it's almost a three hour drive to the city of Kalamazoo where the greatest living history show in the midwest is held.  Nearly 300 of the finest artisans and vendors of pre-1890 clothing,  supplies,  and related accessories and crafts from throughout the United States and Canada come together to sell their wares to those involved in this time-travel hobby.  

Most of what we purchase is not cheap.  But for us it is more of an investment.

Invested in the Environment of the Time.

How much are you willing to invest in your hobby of living history?  I mean,  it is not cheap to recreate the world of the past.  I know that to get a decent set of  "new"  clothing - a coat,  waistcoat,  shirt,  breeches,  socks,  cravats/neckstocks,  buckle shoes,  and cocked hat - can cost from as little as $800 to upward of $1500 or a lot more in some cases,  especially if your clothing is hand-sewn.

So...the Kalamazoo Living History Show has pretty much has what we need,  including accessories,  and I've not been let down yet.

Tony and Tom manned a booth for the 1st Pennsylvania.

Doug and Sheila Lee also had a booth for the  49th Regiment of Foote

It's a matter of finding vendors with quality merchandice.

Casey and Abbie Samson,  proprietors of Samson Historical.
Quality merchandice indeed.
We - us from the cabin crew - purchase from them quite often.
They have done us well and have taken very good care of our clothing needs.

Samson Historical Colonial Catalogue

Samson Historical Regency Catalogue - not my period
but is very popular.

Then there's Townsends:

I captured Norm with the proprietor of Townsends,  another quality vendor.
Townsends is another wonderful venfor for your historical needs!
Many of my replicated accessories comes from Townsends.

Townsends Colonial & Regency Catalogue

The catalogues of both vendors are well done.

I have known  "Joe Flatlander"  for decades - a real good guy and an excellent
blacksmith and craftsman.
Though he does not reenact much anymore,  he has always been associated with the
Lac Ste.  Claire Voyageurs.

A small piece of the Schroeder family made up a 19th century timeline, 
from Civil War back to War of 1812.

Jeanne and Linda  (with Linda's husband there in the background left) 
had their Civil War era booth.
I've known these wonderful people from way back in my MSAS 
(Michigan Soldiers Aid Society)  days.

Beth Turza,  truly one of the nicest and kindest people in the hobby, 
kept busy selling her wares.

That's Sandy  (right)  helping Pam at her booth!
I have known both ladies going back to my very beginnings in this hobby~~~

Well,  here's some 18th and early 18th century caps for women!

Women's pockets for sale - colonial.

Plenty of colonial/Rev War/18th century vendors,  along with Civil War/Victorian period there.  I mean there were guns and powder horns,  clothing - military and civilian - tinware for nearly everything,  soaps,  lanterns,  ironware for cooking etc.,  books,  tableware,  flags,  buttons,  brooches,  sewing supplies,  watches/pocket clocks,  fabric,  candles,  caps n hats,  jewelry,  cabinets and other hand-made wooden items...the list goes on and on...three wedding halls filled with vendors!!

My friend Theresa,  on the left here,  had never been to this event and was absolutely flabbergasted at its size and variety of pre-1890s items.  By the way,  that's my son Robbie on the right and,  why,  there's Larissa in the back center! 

To quote Theresa:  "It was so big!  And SOOOO many people!  It did my heart good to see so many living historians together."

AND...it's a great place to meet up with friends - - - - - 

Brian,  Chrissy,  and Jim.
All Waterloo people.
All are awesome~~~

My good friends Jeff and Kim - both wonderful historians.
Jeff is a food historian who speializes in the 18th century, 
while Kim centers more on mid-to-late Victorian era---especially mourning.

Here we are - the travelers from Metro-Detroit together.
Yep---we all rode out together - that's my son Robbie on the left,  Jackie, 
me  (could you tell?  lol),  and Charlotte.

If you can't find it at the Kalamazoo Living History Show,  then maybe it's just not available or...you might just have to make it yourself.

This is not an antique show,  though there are antiques.

This is not a gun show,  though there are plenty of guns - all black-powder.

Rather,  this is perhaps the biggest and best living history show for reenactors/living historians of early America.  I am so very glad they stick by keeping it pre-1890.  

What I ended up purchasing while there was an 18th century outfit for my grandson Liam.  We bought clothing for grandson Ben and for granddaughter Addy a couple months ago,  and the two have been wearing them and playing  "colonial."  Poor Liam didn't have any 18th century clothing so he would wear his video game clothing  ("Link"  from The Legend of Zelda)  and though he did his best - even asking his Nonna to bring her spinning wheel over so she could  "play colonial"  with them! -  he really wanted clothing to fit in better with his brother and sister.  So,  since Patty did not come to the Kalamazoo Living History Show,  my friend Larissa helped me to get the clothing - found used - so I bought him 18th century garments of his own.

Well,  it just so happened that the day after K-zoo we had another fun day,  for we were babysitting our grandkids at our house!  More cooking with Nonna  (Patty loves getting them to make their own pizza and chocolate chip cookies---from scratch---not a box,  which was their lunch)  and,  of course,  history stuff with Papa.

When Liam put on his colonial clothes for the first time,  he loved 'em!

"Papa,  can I leave these on?  They're comfortable."

Of course-----!!!

So he posed for a picture while holding my replica 1760 fusil musket.  

At this point I'm not worrying about getting him a coat,  though I will get him some long stockings and black shoes - not worrying about buckle shoes either - my grandkids are growing too fast!  lol

Ben saw Liam's pose and asked,  "Papa,  you have a musket?"

Now,  I thought they knew I had one,  but obviously they didn't remember or even notice,  so I replied,  "Yup"

"Is it real?"
"It's a replication made in the same way as one from 1760."
"Can I hold it?"

"Of course!"

Ben was not wearing his colonial clothing but I think it's a pretty cool pose!
As with Liam,  we're not going to buy him a coat or buckle shoes.  However,  long stockings and perhaps Payless black shoes.
Oh!  And probably a cocked/tricorn hat for each.

Since we were also feeding them dinner - a simple modern feast of hot dogs  (lol) - they asked to eat by candlelight,  which we always do for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

But,  of course!  

It was a dull,  gray day,  so eating by candlelight was perfect.

So glad they asked!!

Five of our six grandkids enjoying a candlelit hot dog meal.
The two on the right are too young to reenact colonial - they're just learning how
to be humans at this point!
But there's Ben,  Liam,  and Addy on the left.
Modern unused forks center bottom - they wanted to use the colonial items!

Ben had come with us to the colonial cabin last year  (2025:  HERE and HERE),  so I had already shown him how to eat the colonial way---with knives instead of forks...but the other two had not,  so Addy and Liam were taught,  and they did great for a first time!  Addy also remembered me telling her that colonial folk would eat with their hands as well! 

For Ben I also brought out the redware mug to drink from and Liam ate off a redware plate  (toward the end of dinner).

Addy got a special treat - she got to eat with actual antique 18th century bone eating utensils!
She beamed!!

During dinner they asked all kinds of questions about history and of their ancestors,  including about Nonna's Revolutionary War ancestor,  my WWI grandfather,  and WWII father.  And they understood that these ancestors were also THEIR ancestors.

It was such a great and fun time on a blah weather day.

My wife and I are blessed...truly blessed...

And then later on in the week - - this is what my daughter-in-law wrote on her facebook page:

"For anyone who might not know,  our kids have taken immense interest in outdoor skills.  And with that,  they've also taken immense interest in colonial living.  I was laughing a little too hard at this earlier today.  Ben,  with dreaded hair,  sitting on our front porch in his colonial clothes,  whittling a branch with his fancy multi tool  (knife).  I was laughing because what would someone driving by think if they saw this 🤣 I feel like we need a lawn sign that says  "yes,  we're THOSE homeschoolers"  or something 🤣 I couldn't be more proud."

Hats are a-comin'!

And a waistcoat for Ben.

I love that my grandkids have taken to this hobby.  I hope they enjoy it enough to stick with it.

Years ago,  when my mother was still alive and living with my wife & I and our children at our home,  while sitting around our dining table,  my kids asked me,  "Dad,  how long have you been into history?"  I turned and asked my mom.  She replied,  "Oh!  I think you came out of the womb  into history!"

She's right,  you know,  for I cannot remember a time when history wasn't on my mind.  Thinking back to when I was a young lad in the late 1960's  (which,  I suppose, must be ancient history in itself for many!)  when I was learning to read,  I asked for  (and received)  a couple of books from the school book fair.  One was called  "If You Lived In Colonial Times,"  and the other book was about Christopher Columbus.  And I read those two books over and over from cover to cover.  So,  as it happened,  every year from then on,  I would purchase more books with a historical theme:  "The Cabin Faced West,"  a wonderful book about frontier colonial life,  "The Ghost of Dibble Hollow,"  1910 comes to life...in a ghostly sort of way...  "Father's Big Improvements,"  another fun turn-of-the-20th Century story,  and others I can't recall at this time,  as well as the yearly  "Guinness Book of World Records"  with lots of historical facts and figures.

And my interest continued as I grew older.

Into the Bicentennial.

Now into the Semiquincentennial - America 250~~

So here I am,  living history for a day at a time...

Well...like Christmas,  Kalamazoo will be back next year.

I can't wait.

Until next time,  see you in time.

Thanks to Jennifer Long for allowing me to use a few of her photos.

HERE is a post of links to the colonial period posts I've written:

~~~~~~~~~