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Hi everyone!
This is a preliminary post about next year's events. We haven't confirmed dates yet, so just pencil this in for now and by all means ask any questions you may have.
SPRING 2014
In the interests of deconfliction, it looks to me as though there are no competing events from mid-to-late May 2014. (Am I wrong about that? Anyone know of any other ebufu civi events in May 2014?)
Because of rising insurance & other costs, the biannual "daily life" events in Independence aren't feasible at the moment. Therefore, we are now planning events that either don't involve insurance issues or else bring in other groups to help defray costs.
In mid to late May 2014, we are planning an event that will be limited to about 10-12 people (or however many we can bring in without incurring a high insurance premium) that will involve instruction in preserving historic log structures. We'll learn both historic and modern preservation techniques side-by-side. Those include chinking / daubing, glazing and repairing windows, carpentry, grounds and gardening work, period & modern cleaning, repair, and maintenance, etc. We're still in the planning stages, so a lot of this can be worked out with your input. Although some of the work will obviously be done with modern tools & modern preservation methods, the evenings will be in immersion (first person, in period clothing and surroundings.)
If you're interested, the best thing to do would be to join the independence village google group (see link below.)
For me personally, there is nothing more wonderful than working hard all day and then enjoying a cozy supper with good company in the evening. And the repairs & preservation work can be done by anyone. For example, although I am completely unhandy with tools and was totally ignorant of chinking, daubing, glazing, and the like, I felt after last weekend's event that I could learn & handle these techniques. We have lots of experts who regularly come to Indy and who know both period-correct and modern methods. These folks are all terrific teachers.
We obviously have to do the repairs and preservation according to the owners' wishes, but the May 2014 weekend will still be an excellent course in historic conservation.
Fall 2014:
Right now we're planning a bigger event mid-October 2014, possibly Oct. 10-13 (this is Columbus Day weekend); Oct. 17-19, or Oct. 24-26. Again, anyone who knows of, or is planning a competing event, please let us know as soon as possible so that we don't overlap.
The October 2014 event will include mayhem and excitement. We are looking for all sorts of folks: military of either / both sides, civilians, and ... criminal gangs. The overall idea revolves around a military payroll robbery, with (possibly) some 1864 politics thrown in. If you're interested, please join the google group:
Finally, for those of you who aren't familiar with Independence Pioneer village: it's a "constructed" village composed of historic log houses, a few shops, and a school house that also serves as our church. It's situated in a pretty wooded area about an hour south of Champaign, Illinois, about 45 minutes west of the Indiana state border, and about two hours south of Chicago. The village is a beautiful but rather primitive site. The buildings (some of which date back to the 1820s) need a lot of preservation. The community we have formed over the past few years is friendly, welcoming, comfortable, zero-drama, and authentic. We strive for a good immersion / first person experience. If you've never experienced a true immersion event, then the May weekend will be an excellent low-stress introduction.
Please visit the site web page for further information: http://www.independencepioneervillage.com/
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