Attendance Reenacting

[chesnutmor]

Good Afternoon,

I just wanted to know what the general consensus is on Civil War reenactments. It appears over the past couple of years attendance has dwindled down from decade highs. My latest experience was at a place called Museum Village. A reenactment that had hundreds of participants only had a handful. It is a very sad. The Museum docents were not willing to assist and complained about the funding being slashed at every opportunity. It is quite sad. The battle reenactment was uncoordinated and uninformative since the majority of the audience could not see or hear the battle.

Does anyone have any comments on this? Has attendance dropped at all events? Is it just a regional thing?

Jill Pierson

[MarkTK36thIL]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

In short: Yes.
List of reasons include: Too old, addition of wife/husband, financial, economy, real military, new era of living history, bored, bad event experiences, new hobby, same events don't offer anything new, etc. Take your pick.

[coastaltrash]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Mark pretty much hit the nail square on the head. I was looking back at my old photo album, heck I say old, it was 3 years ago, and most of the people in those pictures don't even take part in this hobby anymore. For a hobby driven on the need of numbers as well as quality, that middle ground of just plain good family camping reenactors is sliding down to nothing. Kids grow up and become less interested in the hobby, leaving Mom and Dad to not really want to go out to the old family hobby anymore. It's also just gotten stale.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Hallo!

Hobby interest is cyclical. When one has been "around the block" a few times, one sees the waxings and wanings.

Shoot, one even sees this question repeat and cycle. ;) :)

It may be interesting and serious in the long term scheme of things to see what effect the Graying of America (not referring to CS impressions here) is having, or will have, as "middle age" reenactors "age" out of things and teenagers and young adults do not come in to replace them.

Curt

[Drygoods]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Mr. Schmidt,
I would agree with you on that graying of Americaissue. People in our hobby are not recruiting as they once did, consequently, we have less interest from the younger crowd. I hope that with the sesquicentennial, we will find more enthusiasm from younger folks, but it will be a tough sell. Funds are not as plentiful as the past two decades, and unemployment is very high. Instead of lowering prices from vendors, we see them rise, consequently, it often takes people longer to make purchases, if at all.
I think that today, we all have to be more generous. Give more to your club by getting that loaner box going, I mean not just donate a shirt in two years, add a bit more if you can afford it, add a lot more. Second, contact some service clubs in your town and ask them to help sponsor a youth to a CW conference, or perhaps ask them to donate to your loaner box. Another idea would be for a unit to buy an extra tent and rent it out for the weekend to those who cannot afford one, this way it would increase their club coffers to help pay for food, clothing, or simply getting the word out that they wish to recruit and inspire new membership.

I can also easily relate to the loss of participants in the historic village. I have a similar venue coming up shortly, where we will have the use of a period building, in my case a boarding house from the 1860s. People love the venue, but numbers are down. And if you ask for funds, nobody shows up, besides I think that an unfair thing to do to participants. So, I buy and travel with everything a house would require, it will leave me broke for months, but I don't mind so much because the work and my friends are worth it. The sad part is, I end up doing fewer events, just like everyone else.
The hardest part is getting folks to remember that in this hobby we need to support each other. We shouldn't worry so much about the ground, and distance, but more importantly keeping in touch with friends, sharing their news, and supporting them. A little kindness and generousity can go a long way.

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Do you think the "un-PCness" of the Civil War has anything to do with it? There seems to be a growing attitude out there that it's just not a good thing to "celebrate". This is coming from people not involved in the hobby, but might it have an influence? I also think that with the rise of social sites people are feeling less of a need to go out and interact with friends.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Hallo!

An intersting element to the discussion that does not come up that often.

Boy and man, or is it man and boy... I have watched the cyclical rises and falls of reenacting and its brothers and sisters living history and experimental archeology in several periods.

IMHO, and recollection or Hobby History, it was the magical attraction of the Buy-centennial (200th birthday) that fueled and fed the rise of Rev War. And it was the end of the Bicentennial that split the Rev War community into thirds, with a third forming the F & I, and a third forming the CW. And some magic about the 125th Anniversay Series of events that grew the CW movement. In this area Rev War events that used to pull in 200-300 dropped to a slow as 12-20.
AND, at the end of the 125th's, the question would we, could we, ever see a national or regional event with a thousand participants ever again?

I think, believe, at the moment that we are entering a Toxic Triangle of cyclical decline. With the three sides of the triangle being:

1. A national "anti-education" mood, coupled with "history" disappearing from school curricula because it is not "asked for" on student proficiency and graduation tests

2. An Economy down cycle into Recession and Depression, where many particpatns being blue collar and working class have dinged by job loss, and rising prices

3. Where a hobby that is seemingly based on book learning, being hot, cold, sweaty, dirty, achy, eating crappy food, and playing soldier competes with IPhones and the
"Internets," and sort attention spans on the one end and an ageing, graying reenacgro base on the other.

And what it takes to drive the engine of success is novelty, excitement, more bang-for-the-buck, instant gratification, bells-and-whistles and some either Hollywood blockbuster or some perceived "magic" in the number of anniversay dates (for example what attention is produced by the 100th of World War I and several WWI movies about to come out, one by Spielberg.)

I used to think that these rise and fall, fall and rise cycles were just normal cyclical facts of reenacting hobby life. And one period's loss was another period's cyclical gain.
But now, I am starting to grow pessimistic, in that the "best" has gone by due to the new Toxic Triangle. But I know that is the view from WITHIN the aquarium. Ask me again in 2019 when we know what happened with WWI. Or in 2046 with WWII.

;) :)

Curt
All my hobby's a circle, sunrise and sundown. The moon rolls through the nighttime; Till the daybreak comes around. All my hobby's a circle, but I can't tell you why. The seasons spin around again, the years keep rolling by! Mess

[JimKindred]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

All I have to add is that for the past 25-30 years people have been predicting the end of the hobby. One day like those who predict the end of the world they will get it right if they make the predictions long enough and often enough. Get out and enjoy your hobby even if it does go away at least you can say you made the most out of it while it was here.

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

If I may add some additional thoughts:

- Less face-to-face socialization. Among the younger generation, texting has replaced 'true' socialization. Discussing reenacting on-line is actually more popular than actual reenacting.
- Lack of interest in events that involve 'imaginary' roles. These replaced with video games and even these can be extended to social groups of interent video gaming. The generation of people who grew up playing outdoors is getting older.
- Poor public schools no longer emphasizing history. Even when history is taught, it may be revisionist or graduates may really only have a 5th grade comprehension of it.
- Less interest among the populace in outside activities. Thos who do are in organized sporting clubs/groups.
- Increased sedintary lifestyle. US also has the most obese populace (yes, I need to lose a few pounds as well). Our poplace has grown soft and very few can stand a night camping without lots of creature comforts.
- Economic issues as we are in a down-turned economy.
- We are still fighting a real war in Iraq (yes, service men and women are still there) and Afghanistan.

Just my 2 cents.
Jim Butler

[KPavia]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

I think the main reason is a lot more simple than what many may think. Lack of recruiting.

Lack of recruiting = lack of members

All other points are very valid and do limit our participation but if we aren't out recruiting new members, we'll have very few new members.

[JimKindred]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Leave the Sci Fi out of the discussion.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Recruiting. We at this end of the hobby pool recruit very little. We tend to focus on our li'l group o' pards and shut out the rest out. The phrase "For Us/ By Us" itself means that no one outside the hobby will see us.

If you want to grow, you have to do events where non-reenactors will see you. When they do see you, they'll need to see that you are a group that is capable of being joined, that there is leadership, and some level of organization. On top of all that, you have to be nice to the ignernt taters. For every 5 guys that "say" they want to join...
1 - will never attend an event.
2 - won't last one season.
1 - will probably move on to another group within a year or two.

So, given the projected return on investment above and the events most of us prefer to do, its no wonder that a lot of folks don't want to deal with it.

...but, if you ain't growin', you're dying.

[KPavia]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

Sorry, I meant the clip as a joke.

[cwpilgrim]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

With the economy the way that it is here in Michigan, I haven't seen new faces, but I have seen the kids whose parents re-enact finally joining the ranks of the mainstream encampments.
But I also know of many who just got tired and have gone to other time periods. Good CW folks, but got bored.
I suppose every hobby has that happen, really.
When it ceases to be fun, you look elsewhere for a good time.

But I also know plenty of mainstream guys who have no interest in the type of events we do. It is either too boring, or too grueling for them. Plus, not everyone enjoys stretching their comfort zone. That is what I have seen.

[Clsinclair]

Re: Attendance Reenacting

For 5 years the attendance of the Palmetto Battalion increased each year, however attendance dropped this last year by 500 people for all events. Our membership remains constant. SC has a very high unemployment rate with some counties as high as 20 percent. I also believe the decrease is part of a cycle so there are several factors at work.