After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

[J. Donaldson]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I'd like to echo Mike's comments as well. I'm looking at narrowing the number of events I do per year, but I want to do better events. If those events fail to materialize, my future in the hobby may be limited.

[Old Reb]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

When do we start the veteran reunion events? I will bring the jug!

[Huck]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I'm looking forward to doing GAR events ...

[Huck]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

We are all getting ready for the 50th post war GAR reunions Hang out on a battle field and tell lies about the past.

[Silas]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I'd love to do a veteran's reunion. The 100th anniversary of the big Peace Jubilee at Vicksburg is only three years away. Big tent camping, telling stories, French press coffee drinking, battlefield touring. My kind of reenacting.

[Ambrose Bierce]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

Fewer, better events. Schedule permitting, I will plan a few, both immersion experiences and quality living histories.

Like Mr. Sturgill, I leave the hobby periodically due to a variety of competing items. I still like getting out to events and catching up with people. Making new friends and contacts is fun, too. I am with Johnny on this one. Some of the best memories I have are of those events attended with my son.

I have been at this 26 years and still going strong.

[usmcskipper]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I'm infected with the reenacting disease and can't stop! I went to my first event at six months old, grew up as a drummer, shifted to a musket, joined the real military, and will retire from it before I retire from reenacting. I made the 125ths, the 150ths, and intend to see the 175ths. With a bit of luck, I could make the bicentennial.

Chris

[Dan Limb]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

Greetings!

A simple and direct question for this fine Monday morning. After the completion of the 150th Anniversary Events this spring, are you staying in the Civil War Hobby or are you getting out? Why?

After 22 years in this hobby, I have been taking stock of what I have done, where I have been, how I have done it, why, and who I choose to participate with. If the last aspect is with great people, the rest will fall into line. The way I see it, there is far more ahead of me than behind me.

When I think back, I realize that there is so much I have NOT done, and I look forward to trying new things. This year alone was a high mark for me. I marched in sweat, rain, heat, and mud as the 5th KY at Pickett's Mill, toured my first Georgia battlefields with excellent pards, crewed a 200 lb Parrott Rifle on original ground at the Mouth of the Columbia as the 8th California, Dug in and loaded with ramrods as the 48th NC at a great event in WA, cooked with nesting kettles, showed a mainstream confederate battalion a better way of doing things, and best of all, have helped usher some enthusiastic young recruits into the authentic path.

Next I will be building a winter hut, and then singing and drinking with my pards as a garrison regular.

The 150th cycle showed that the hobby has been split for a long time. There are but two parties now, farbs and authentics. And I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter!

Dan Limb
One of THEM!

[Craig L Barry]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

My Dad got me involved in this hobby when I was 5 years old and I met my wife, also a lifetime reenactor. While we've gone from doing 4-8 events a year 5 years ago down to 1 or 2, we'll still be involved. I swore leaving the parking lot at Chickamauga, that I'd never go to another large scale event. After Pickett's Mill I'm also hanging up my "battle" events. I'm going to change what I've been doing, but I'll never hang it up, Like I told people, I'm taking my campaigner attitude and going back to the tree line. The 150th Battle events have been the source of more headache and burnout than they were worth.

I had the same impression of the 150th events, especially Chickamauga. That was my last event. Since that I've ended up mostly volunteering out at the STRI battlefield doing historic weapons demos, but I don't see myself "out of the hobby" any time soon. And 98% of the guys responding here are in it for the long haul, according to the survey results so far.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

Craig,
I'm not quitting until I get a chance to try that "bury the copper pot" bean recipe in your article!

Let's cook up a mess of beans at an event* and sell 'em to the public and give all the funds for preservation.

Now THAT would be a scenario!

* Caveat: Cooking beans IS the event… it ain't an adjunct. Cook beans. Gather wood for the mess. Watch the fire. Eat beans. Sell beans. That's it.

[coastaltrash]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

Craig,
I'm not quitting until I get a chance to try that "bury the copper pot" bean recipe in your article!

Let's cook up a mess of beans at an event* and sell 'em to the public and give all the funds for preservation.

Now THAT would be a scenario!

* Caveat: Cooking beans IS the event… it ain't an adjunct. Cook beans. Gather wood for the mess. Watch the fire. Eat beans. Sell beans. That's it.

Now that I'm getting my head above water a bit, Wick, you should come to Stones River and cook with me and Craig

[ETYank]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

As long as I can find like-minded comrades to fall in with, I'm staying. When I'm too old to portray a soldier, I figure I'll make one hell of an annoying civilian.

Wickett, you bring a pot, and I'll bring some beans. Just say when and where.

[Dennis W. Duerbeck]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I'll be around after the 150 th. I was around for the 100 th ! I was not fortunate enough to be able to re-enact, just collect. A few years ago I began to do first person impression/living history with my Artillery display. From reading these postings all of you have been bitten by that Civil War bug, or as some people say once the wool gets into your blood - that's it ! What we all do is an extension of our hobby and in doing so educate the public. It's just about non-existent in the public school systems. The more you do; study; read; research; the more you learn. Thanks for doing what you do.

Dennis W. Duerbeck

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

Landrum: STRI Sounds Great! Let's get it on the Calendar.

Craig: I know you're in, 'nuff said. The big question is, will I have my '61 by then? ...not really ... I won't. I didn't have it for Shiloh and I doubt I will for Bentonville. I guess it will be my "155th Cycle Musket".

Lakin: Awesome!

I'd invite Eric Fair, but he said his dream scenario was to guard a cracker box, or something like that.

[Jboring]

Re: After the 150ths, Are You In or Out?

I have no plans to go anywhere. Actually, the 150th cycle has been an opportunity to rebrand the company and look to get creative with recruiting as well as rebuilding the company web site. It's going to be a god transition for us.