Posts Tagged Living History
Newville Eastern Front Event 2011
On March 11-12, 2011, the 193rd Rifles and the German WWI group, Fusilier Regiment Nr 90, sponsored what has become an annual event at the GWA site at Newville. This time, it was a spring 1945 scenario. For those of you have never been there, the GWA site is an amazing place. No other reenacting [...]
Report II from FIG/GAP 2011
The following is Bill Donegan’s report on this year’s FIG event from the perspective of the German chaplin: Report from FIG/GAP 2011 I was glad to have been at the GAP again this year. I am glad also that it was not too cold. I wish to thank Pete and Kate Gentry, and Brad and [...]
GAP 2010
January 25th through the 28th saw me once again trekking up to Fort Indiantown Gap for the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment/ living history extravaganza/militaria vendor mall. As usual, it was a large affair with a lot of activities for the WWII living historian. This year, for the first time, I got there on [...]
A Reenactor on Film
It is always cool when knowledgeable living historians get to work with a film project and are able to help the producers ‘get it right.’ The following is a conversation that Bill Donegan had with Reenactor par excellence, Jenna Onuska on the Wehrmacht forum regarding a film project in Maryland: Jenna: My 15 minute claim [...]
Old Bedford Village – East Front Tactical 2010
The annual Fall Eastern Front event was held at Old Bedford Village on the weekend of November 12-14. This year offered an interesting change from the usual format. Rather than just a series of firefights between the combatants, this year involved a day-long scenario in which German units (in this case, Grossdeutschland and 11th Panzer) [...]
PA Trolley Museum 2010
Another post that is a ‘little’ late. It has been a very busy Fall. On the weekend of September 11-12, the PA Trolley Museum near Washington, PA hosted the annual Antique Truck Show. As is customary,28th Division, 110th RCT, K Company,set up a WWII living history display as part of the show. As I have [...]
Ike Farm – 2010
I attended the Ike Farm WWII Weekend on September 18. This was the first time in several years that I had gone and pleasantly, it seemed that it had grown since the last time I was there, although, it may just be that I can’t remember that much about the last time. There were two [...]
Williamsport WWII Event 2010
The following report was submitted by correspondent Bill Donegan: Williamsport 2010 Event This year’s living history at Williamsport began with Kim sending me an e-mail message telling me that they had a “PACKARD” for me, for the parade. I misread it thinking it said package. I had a big laugh when Linda pointed out my [...]
Jollytown Civil War Memorial – A Job Well Done
On September 4, 2010, the Reenactorpost and the Sons of Union Veterans drove to Jollytown, PA and cleaned up the Jesse Taylor Civil War memorial and repainted the guns. The SUV commander, Matt Gillespie, had gotten Lowe’s in Buckhannon to knock 50% off the cost of two gallons of Rustoleum. One can was olive drab [...]
A Working Visit to the Tank Farm
This one is a little late, but it has been a busy summer and fall (so far). On July 12-13, Bill Donegan and I drove to the Virginia Military Vehicles Museum to work as volunteers. The ‘Tank Farm,’ as it is also known, is located near Manassas, Virginia and contains an amazing collection of 20th [...]
Criticizing a Reenactor for His/Her Impression
Over the past week, there has been a lot of press over the membership of Republican congressional candidate, Rich Iott’s membership in a midwestern German reenacting group, SS Wiking. Articles in the online version of the Atlantic and numerous other websites usually refer to Iott taking part in ‘Nazi’ reenactments. Apparently the Allies weren’t there [...]
HAMPSHIRE HERITAGE FEST, ROMNEY WV SEPTEMBER 10 – 12, 2010
In my haste to get this out, I neglected to note that this was submitted by Nick Korolev (Very sorry Nick!) ed. The Hampshire County Heritage Fest takes place every 2nd weekend in September. The Civil War living history and reenactment part of this fun festival has only been going on for a few years, [...]
USS Olympia – Are We Going to Lose This National Treasure?
On Sunday, September 19, I toured the cruiser USS Olympia with my friend, Don Taylor. We were in Philadelphia for the Russian Mosaica Festival and took the opportunity to check out this historic vessel. I had, of course, seen many pictures of ships of the “Great White Fleet”, but had never experienced actually boarding one. [...]
The Longest Weekend, D-Day pt. III
Here is Bill’s Continued Report on Longest Week-end- Conneaut Ohio: Following on the heels of that epic bridge battle the three West Virginians retired to the comfort of the 2nd Gebirgs camp for a rest and refit. While cleaning rifles and reloading bandoleers, we were approached by the local news media for snap-shots and interviews. [...]
D-DAY OHIO, THE LONGEST WEEK-END 2010 Pt. I
This in from Bill Donegan: This is a report on what Debbie Wenig has dubbed “The Longest Week-end” Three West Virginia Gebirgsjagers and two wives traveled from Charleston, Fairmont and Morgantown WV to attend this years re-enactment of the Normandy invasion. Jim Barnes, Morgantown, was the first one to arrive early on Friday and was [...]
News from the Front – Tank Farm Event – 2010
The following is a report from our intrepid correspondent, Mike Momot: The Tank Farm” Nokesville, Virginia, 21-22 August 2010. This event is located on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles. This event was attended by members of the 193rd and many other reenactment units. WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, the Cold War, and [...]
Old Bedford Village Living History 2010
Old Bedford Village has been described as the ‘Jewel of Reenacting’ in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I certainly agree. One of the premier events that I look forward to each summer is the annual OBV 1940′s weekend. It is always laid-back, interesting and fun. This year was no exception. Between John Niemiec, Craig Hall and [...]
After action report Old Bedford Village 9 August 2010 (Axis Perspective)
Bill Donegan participated in some of the skirmishing at Old Bedford Village during the 1940′s Living History Weekend on August 7-8. Here is his report: The Germans were in control of the village. It was a beautiful summer day, the sky was clear and blue, no humidity and about 75 degrees fahrenheit. Villagers were out [...]
Gettysburg Cyclorama 2010
The following is a report by guest commentator, Matt Gillespie, on the Gettysburg Cyclorama which has been moved to the new Visitor’s Center: My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010. What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA. None of [...]
Let Me Tell You About My Vacation…
As some of you may know, I spent a week in Maine last May. Anyone who knows anything about the American Civil War knows that Maine made a major contribution to the Union war effort in many different sectors. Maine was one of the first states in the northeast to be aligned with the Republican [...]
Philippi Races 2010
The following is a report on the annual Blue-Gray Reunion in Philippi, WV by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: On June 3rd through June 6th Linda and I attended, and participated in, the 149th Annual Blue & Gray Reunion in Philippi, West Virginia. Linda and I started this year’s preparation back in March when we began [...]
Save the Justice William Smith House (continued…)
Here is a short update from Karen Ramsburg concerning the ongoing effort to save the Smith House in Mercersburg, PA.: To all: We are pleased to have received a letter of support from Professor of History, Kevin Kenny of Boston College, author of the recently published book on the Paxton Boys titled Peaceable Kingdom Lost. [...]
Adding a Civilian Impression
In getting ready for Arthurdale Heritage’s New Deal Festival this coming weekend, I have been forced to do something that I have been wanting to do, but have been putting off for some time: developing a period civilian impression. Admittedly, this is a new area for me and I welcome any advice from the readership. [...]
Rowlesburg WWII Weekend
On the weekend of June 19, 2010, Rowlesburg, WV and the Greatest Generation Society held their annual WWII Weekend. This is one of my favorite annual events for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the hospitality of the event sponsors and the community. We were provided with a spaghetti dinner on [...]
Reading Airshow 2010
Another June, another Reading! For any readers who don’t know, Reading Airshow is the largest gathering of WWII reenactors and enthusiasts on the east coast, with the possible exception of the Gap. There is no other gathering of this many WWII aircraft in one place, of which I am aware. The 193rd Rifle Division has [...]