Here is a quick overview of events that we didn’t cover in individual articles.
April 6-8. School of the Longhunter – Prickett’s Fort, near Fairmont, WV. This is a very informative seminar on life on the frontier in the 18th Century. Subjects can vary from an enlightening discussion on the life of Simon Girty to a two-hour study of tumplines, with plenty in between. I was recovering from foot surgery, so I was less active than usual.
April 26-29. Fort Frederick Market Fair. Fort Frederick State Park, Big Pool, MD. A great event – one that I would not want to miss. Lots to see: Great impressions. Lots to buy: Lots of sutlers.
June 2. Friendsville Celtic Festival. There are always a few reenactors hanging around a Celtic festival, and this one was no exception. We had Border Reivers, Jacobites and WWI soldiers.
On June 7, I went with a couple of other Civil War reenactors to pay our respects to the graves of Civil War veterans in the surrounding area. We started with Jollytown, which boasts a most impressive monument to Jesse Taylor – the first man killed in action in the 7th West Virginia Vol. Infantry. The Parrot Rifle and mortars are still holding up well. Later at a cemetery in Marion County, we came across a 3 inch ordinance rifle that looked like it could be put back into action anytime if mounted on a carriage.
June 9. Bantam Jeep Festival, Butler, PA. There is always a good-sized living history emcampment at the Jeep Fest and this year was no exception.
June 30. Wild West Weekend at Old Bedford Village, Bedford, PA. This site seems to work for a variety of time periods and places. Events here are usually fun. The Wild West Weekend is a real hoot and is family friendly.
July 7. An afternoon with Ben Franklin. First person presentation at Pricketts Fort. The gentleman who portrayed Mr. Franklin did a fine job. Unfortunately, I have lost his name.
July 13-15. Beverly Heritage Days. Quickly becoming one of the best living history events in West Virginia, Beverly Heritage is a timeline event covering a period from 1750 through Vietnam. New impressions are always welcome.
September 29. Augusta Militia Muster – Pricketts Fort. Militia demonstrations by the aforementioned living history group. Very correct and well done impressions. The group was putting the finishing touches on a dugout canoe. Well done!
October 12-14. Reenactment of the Battle of Droop Mountain. Droop Mountain State Park. Hillsboro, WV. Reenactment of the last significant action of the Civil War in West Virginia. On November 6, 1863, Brigadier General W.W. Averell’s Federals drove Brigadier General John Echols’ Confederates off the mountain and back into Virginia, thereby ending Confederate resistance in the state. On this weekend, the weather was abominable. Rain had been falling for several days before and continued off and on during the weekend. Temperatures were chilly. Some thoroughly soaked reenactors left Sunday morning so numbers were low for the final battle of the weekend.
November 10. Inaugural Colonial Ball – Pricketts Fort. Nice first time event. Good turnout. The music was well-done and the dance master knew his stuff. We look forward to the next one.
Leave a Reply