Westville AAR

[Johnny Lloyd]

Ok... In the immortal words of Messr. Charles Heef:
"I had fun... How 'bout you?"

Someone had to do it... ;)

[Spinster]

Re: Westville AAR

I'm glad it was Johnny Lloyds turn to say it.


piled up in a restaurant near the ATL with some impressment agent who tried to seize fabric from my dyepots all weekend long

[desotobob]

Re: Westville AAR

Words can do no justice. Missus Bodaciousness-ness-ness will be indelibly etched in my brain. The ladies of the Singer House who cooked will be forever remembered by me. We ate the best of all.
Thanks to everyone who allowed me to play in their playground. It is a memory of a lifetine.
Thanks Mr. Harrington for my ferrotype.
Thank Mr. Yarbrough for the tavern.
Richmond Richardson

[suspenderless pard]

Re: Westville AAR

Words can do no justice. Missus Bodaciousness-ness-ness will be indelibly etched in my brain. The ladies of the Singer House who cooked will be forever remembered by me. We ate the best of all.

Richmond Richardson

Well said. Thanks to everyone who did the behind the scenes planning and got everything arranged so we could show up and play. Thanks to everyone who showed up and made the town come to life. SCAR appreciates all of your efforts throughout the weekend. Now on to 2012.

Singer House Rules!!!

[JEBminnesota]

Re: Westville AAR

It was a blast and I am signing up for the next one.

Hopefully next time I wont get hit over the head with a bottle.

[Ken Knopp]

Re: Westville AAR

Been a lot of places and did a great many interesting things in twenty-five years but this was certainly one of the most unique and best events I have ever been to. I was honored and blessed to be there. Met some great people too. Relived some childhood whims and several times over my three days I really was back in 1863. A hearty thanks to the folks at SCAR, Westville and of course Jim and Victoria for their obvious hard work and detail.

PS: My biggest thanks and appreciation go the talented and hard working ladies of the Singer food group!! Thank you ladies!!


Ken R Knopp

[joey12thga]

Re: Westville AAR

Hopefully next time I wont get hit over the head with a bottle.

Good times, good times.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Westville AAR

To all the former citizens of Westville 1863-

I Andrew Jay, your most estemed and honourable tax collector/impressment
agent, would like to thank all you property tax suckers... er, I mean, good
townsfolk for your generous contributions to the "Georgia relief fund" otherwise
truly known as the "Gentlemen's Room beer fund" and "Andrew Jay cigar fund" (I
use the term 'gentlemen' --extremely-- loosely in the former reference). It
bought many a round in the tavern for the upper-crust relief of their taxing
problems of whom to let in the room and who not to admit- which was pretty
obvious form looking at the likes of the common rabble outdoors of said room.

I'm certainly glad your Worker's Party 'won' the pathetically-rigged election
and hope that the new heel upon your head is a trifle-bit softer than the
previous one from mayor Apricot, or Algott, or Alcott or whatever.

It was a certain strange pleasure to dole-out gifts of relief to each of your
households... much like a rattlesnake likes to bite a mouse and inject venom
into its prey, slowly and forever immobilizing the one that receives said aid
and making each of you indebited to me and my secret gang of thugs, er...
"business associates".

To all of the lovely ladies I have met throughout this grand experiment, I
tell to you that you certainly brightened-up this rotten morass of smelly men
known as the quasi-gentry of Westville, of which I and a select few of these
wretches are but a scarab upon the top of the dung heap, rolling each into a
ball of feces that might be of some use someday to the community. You ladies are
flowers upon that dung heap, drawing the nutrients out of these boys and
creating meaningful beauty and sweet smell. Just always remember where your
roots exactly lie.

To those that didn't pay their taxes this time, just wait until the Yankees
are knocking on Atlanta's doorstep in less than two years and I, your most
caring friend, will be the first one to welcome them with open arms in the
spirit of good business and the further fleecing of your worthless souls whilst
you argue and fight amongst yourselves for a measly crust of bread. And while
you do that, do listen to my mad cackle of cigar-soaked laughter in the
background drinking champagne from the hole-bored skull of the only sane and
mentally well-grounded inhabitant and native of South Carolina, Edmund Ruffin.

I, Andrew Jay, bid you fond adieu this fair evening. I'm off to gamble-away
the rest of your worthless paper at the racetrack (if they will accept it) while
your boys are fighting so hard at the front. I'll put a bet down on the table
for you. If you win, I'll keep the money in my pocket for safekeeping... heh.

If you see that nitwit Johnny Lloyd around town, tell him I have to speak with
him over a certain matter.

So long suckers, er, 'citizens'... don't let the door hit you on the bum when
you leave!

Cynthia Davis said it best when I saw her: "What can I do for you kind sir...

... Oh, you are the tax man... (sigh)"

Yours warmly & respectfully,
-Andrew Jay, Esq.


PS- Please send my warmest regards to my Aunt Tilley, the Lewis family, the
"Irish gal", the McDonald daughters, the Jewish one, "Big John" Canady, Nathan
the Flat-out Thief, Captain Mustache, Beetle... er- Canfield, Judge French
Picture, the --real-- Bullet-making Man, Swamp Thing- I mean Owl, the not-so
Cotton Burker, the imbecile Commodore Renfro and the lightly-litigating lawyer
for me if you see them. I am at ya'lls service.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Westville AAR

To all:

Please don't believe a word of what evil things Mr. Jay says. He's been known to be a rapscallion and thief that preys upon the poor in Westville.

Words don't begin to tell how great this event was. If you missed it, you can eat your heart out with a three-pronged fork. :tounge_sm

I had a blast and Mr. Jay told me he especially did too before he went to the races today.

See ya'll in two years... Johnny Lloyd:wink_smil

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: Westville AAR

Thanks, everyone for making this such a great event. Especially Jim- with out whom, none would have been possible. To the Singer ladies- truly the most wonderful cooks in town and thanks for taking such good care of us (you will live in infamy). To my partners in the woodshop, I can't wait till next time.... maybe I won't have to build another coffin for that one..... And to the Yarboroughs- we'll make up more songs for y'all at the next one!

If I have omitted anyone, you have my apoligies

[toptimlrd]

Re: Westville AAR

Chris,

Thanks for the coffin work. The workmanship was first rate and when the school kids were there on Friday, it was quite the topic of conversation in the church with them wondering "was there really someone in it". I had quite a lot of fun with that one. Other's wanted to "see the body" which I stated "oh no you don't, ever seen a dead body after a couple of days?".

Thanks also for getting both coffins where they needed to be when they needed to be there.

[Spinster]

Re: Westville AAR

PS- Please send my warmest regards to my Aunt Tilley, .

One never knows when opportunity will come, requiring only a short step into a new character. This time, it was a momentary confusion at a theatre door. Several years ago, Vicey Compson jumped out of some dark corner of my heart, weilding an axe, with just as little provocation.

Aunt Tilley was armed only with extra theatre ticket and a pair of kid gloves. She does however, feel the need for a new silk dress, an extraordinarily beribboned hair net, and a slender tippling cane of the sort carried by the late Queen Mother......

Angelina Matilda Stoker, recently married to Dr. Porter, and erstwhile friend of .......

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: Westville AAR

Aunt Tilley was armed only with extra theatre ticket and a pair of kid gloves. She does however, feel the need for a new silk dress, an extraordinarily beribboned hair net, and a slender tippling cane of the sort carried by the late Queen Mother......

How sad...There was an opportunity to obtain a dress length of a fine silk-wool blend fabric this past Friday. That banker James Canaday even took a gallon of hard cider in partial trade for it. Aunt Tilly should consider which of her nephews is more supportive of those needs. Whilest Angelina Stoker is making a spectacle of herself calling a common and honest businessman, a disabled Veteran no less, a 'Speculator'...

Who is "Big John" Canady? I've never heard of that man...

I would not trade those four days of memories for anything. Thanks everyone, without each individual's willingness to take a step into the unknown and following Jim Butler on the Adventure that was Struggles of Secession, this would not have happened and we would not have the precious memories we each have.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Westville AAR

I got pretty tired of politicking - I mean physically tired. I covered a lot of ground going around town trying to convince folks to support my candidate and sometimes surreptiously giving them a small 'gift' for their voting consideration. I don't think I would want to run for modern office if two days of campaigning wore me out that much.

It was a very enjoyable time and I had some wonderful first person conversations about period politics. I was very impressed by how well prepared many folks were and how aware they were of the political and economic situations that existed in the Confederacy at the time. Most enjoyable indeed. I'll be back for '65.

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Westville AAR

I love the rare occasions when life presents me with an experience that adds a few years to my life. Westville was one of those and yes it was really that good. Yep, really. First, to Jim Butler and Vickie Rumble who started working to put this year's event together immedietely after the last one, you out did yourselves. I cannot fathom the amount of planning, research, and pre-event hard work that went into this event. Thank you for everything as you have enriched my life. The words that come to my mind to describe Westville are: stunning, magical, top notch, A+, and really it was said best by Bob Orrand above, "Words can do no justice...a memory of a lifetime." If you are reading this and weren't there, you must be asking, "Why was this so great? How did this come together?" I'll answer.

It takes a huge effort and everyone has to step up. If you had 25 people work their butts off on this event, it would have been a failure. If you had 50, 75 or 100 people work their butts off on this event, it still would not have been what it was. It really takes everyone who attends to bring their A game to pull it off. This was not an event you could just show up and do, or "phone in your performance." I would describe the living historians who became the citizens of Westville like this. Everyone of them deserves a PhD (some of them really have them) in aspects of mid-nineteenth century life from customs, mores, material culture, politics, economics, period trades, clothing, period language, etc. And they are able to draw upon their vast knowledge in all of these areas to create a convincing portrayal that would equal the finest improvisational actors of Hollywood. These people are really that good.

To those that made this year's event, it was a priveledge and honor to walk and work among you. To me so many of your names and reputations I have known long before we met. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. In no particular order, and using the "sleep deprived stream of conciousness method" I'll recall some of my personal highlights that all of you provided for me:

The wealthy ladies of the Bryan home sure do make Mrs. Davis and her colored servant do all the work. I guess their workers and servants ran off and left them almost helpless. Alright I did see a couple of them hold a plate. Their servant girl sure was kind to wash up my dinner items, but I did hear the things she said about me when I left. And again I appologize about the well used spitoon.

I actually had my axe repaired at the woodshop. I'm thrilled.

I actually had my holster improved at the Singer Boot Shop and leather works. William, the leather worker, was also able to go to the C.S. Ordnance works and have them cast a lead finial for the flap. I was afraid when the worker strike occured that my holster would not be completed. That's when I started thinking how, if I was elected mayor, I could get Mr. Singer better paying jobs for his workers instead of all the low paying C.S. contract work.

Finding out that an opponent running for election on another ticket than my own was taking my tickets from around town like I was doing to his is still making me laugh.

The Lewis Boarding House has enough food on the back porch for the whole town to survive for the winter. Where did it all come from?

I think one of the attorneys, Mr. Worrell, and I discussed an undefeatable line of questioning to prosecute a case.

Mrs. Barr is either the kindest woman on earth by the number of goodwill tokens she had at the end, or the woodshop and printer are about to retire from all the one's she had them make up for her. She had enough to build a couple log cabins by Sunday. Wonder what she bought? Probably the whole courthouse. And it made me happy to provide coffee as fraternal relief.

Mrs. _____, the washer woman. When you said you wanted my pickled peach juice and told me what you were going to do with it, I knew I was standing before genius.

Mr. Canaday, your face was priceless telling me about a sugar bag filled with sand. I'm still laughing. Let me know if you want to know how that magic trick was accomplished. Also you had to head out for such a long drive Sunday, I didn't have a chance to see if I owe you anything for the sugar. Post if you actually gave someone the bag of sand from your black market, as I want to know how that went.

To the two little girls who played the prank on me by knocking on the bank door and then running away, as I told you, thank you. Your laughter at having fun was wonderful. It was a delightful prank and reminded me of the many times I did it too when I was your age. I just hope there won't be another knock at the door by a lady who tells me, "One is mine and don't I recognize the traits!"

Thank you to the Desage? family who ran the general store for the bread that really appeared from nowhere as it was exactly what Mrs. Davis needed.

Our ambrotypist Mr. ______, and his kind wife did excellent work and was the most patient people of the town executing their craft. I'm thrilled with my images.

As I was running for mayor, I felt it would be important to get around to the cooking families and see if I could find out what they needed. If I could provide it, I hoped they would tell their husbands to vote for me. Mr. Darling assisted me and we made two rounds of the homesteads. I learned Mrs. Barr rules her place as the queen bee since the other ladies would not budge on trading a thing without consulting her first. Everyone wanted wheat flour. Mr. Darling and I found that we could get every house something they needed by trading and after our efforts still had enough to sell left overs which profited us a whole $15. I spent mine on the citizens of Westville at Yarbrough's Tavern to celebrate my mayoral victory.

Did you see the show! A real small town production. It was so great. And if you watched close enough, there was as much first person acting in the seats as there was on stage. A proper lady passed out in the pews Friday night at the bawdy lines and gyrations of once actor. She was fanned back to consciousness thank goodness.

After my mayoral speech Friday, the conversation with town folk that went on for an hour and a half about issues was first rate. I hope all of you liked my penning liquor as we shared our minds.

The tailor is a fine man and is doing good work on two coats I dropped off. And I'll say that putting the braid on the sleeves of one is more of a priority to me than the skirt of the other.

Swamp Owl, let me see what comes to mind: Wind him up and let him run. What in hades is in his coffee? Mr. Worrell would like to have you over for dinner one night. Certainly an entertaining character. Asylum. I think I know how we can make some money.

The Singer House cooks were amazing. Industry, efficiency, and ingenuity. You really had to see and taste the operation to appreciate it. My thanks to Mr. Singer for his invitation to join him to take a couple meals.

The place to be Friday night after the show was on the porch of the Bank and Brokerage. Thanks to all who paid a visit.

Best time around a fire was at the Singer House Sunday morning from midnight to two. Great conversation, laughter, gun shooting, recollection of days gone by, and more. Oh, and the accusation of me making eyes at Mrs. Davis was entirely untrue and never happened. Bachelor Burke did intently study another but she didn't notice his gaze.

Many thanks to the farmers for their cotton. An early arrangement was made by the cotton buying triumvirant. Prices were fixed and set by colusion, thereby bringing the greatest profit to the brokers. Yes, shocking I know.

Discussing the war, politics, and penning with my running mate, Mr. Evans was delightful. You are a fine gentleman and we are fortunate to have you representing us at the capitol.

My time in the tavern in the gentlemen's room was superb. All of you who joined me there made my evening one I'll never forget. If we were there now I'd certainly order us another round. I think I need to build one close to home.

There are so many more highlights, and others that I want to thank, but the hour here in Mexico is getting late and I have early appointments. Thanks to every one of you for a great four days. I hope to see you all in two years for the finale.