10 Ways to Interest Spectators at Reenactments

Ignoring spectators has been a big problem in the reenacting/ living history community. Lately many reenactors have been trying to think of ways to interact with the public. It is increasingly important that we keep the public interested with new budget cuts and park closings.

One of the biggest barriers to interacting the public is finding a way to call them over. Frequently, visitors will walk on pathways through the camps but won't come up to you directly or they will approach only to take a photo and then scurry off.

Here is a list of ways to interest or engage spectators:

1. If you have some bored men in camp, you can establish a picket to stop all trespassers and invite them to talk for a bit.

2. Ask them for help. We ask for help when doing dishes, baking bread, ect. Make sure it is a safe activity; we are insured, they are not.

3. "You might not want to go that way, I hear there are some Yankees/Rebels nearby and you know how they treat young ladies/men/women ect." Tell them all of the nasty things that Yankees/Rebels are known for.

4. If they are taking a picture you can ask what they are doing. Make sure to tell them that they surely can't be done yet and that the picture will just be a blur and that you wished they hadn't of taken a picture of you in this ugly dress and that you had such pretty dresses before the war. :D Just give them something to work with. If you have a tintype or CDV of yourself, you could show it to them.

5. If you have two ladies you can comment to each other that the people in this city are "practically naked" or as naked the people of India of which you saw a stereograph of at your neighbor's house. If you are teenage girls, you can giggle and act embarrassed.

6. Ask the spectator if they have any news from where they came.  Tell them that you heard cannon in the morning and fear that there might be a skirmish sometime this week.

7. Have interesting items in view of the spectators. I've seen a group bring out a period still. Would it have really been possible in the Army? No, but it does give spectators an insight into an aspect of Civil War Era life that they otherwise would not have been able to see and helped interest spectators. Try to keep these things period and plausible.

8. Some reenactors create scenes and have a set script that they follow to interest spectators. We don't do this but I think it is a good tool as it involves numerous reenactors and all can participate and not have to worry about improvisational speaking.

9. Simply greet them and invite them to join you in whatever you are doing. If I do get a chance to take a peak at a battle, I will catch up to some spectators on the way. They usually ask what side you are on, where you are from and how long you've been reenacting. It's a good chance to tell spectators if there is anything going on after the battle as many spectators leave thinking that there is nothing after that.

10. This is my personal favorite, so don't steal it. :D If I see a woman with a man or a mom with her boy I'll ask the lady if she's trying to get rid of her man. I'll then inform her that it was the best $11 I've ever made and that the Confederate army even takes the little ones as musicians.    

The more I thought about this the more I realized that it is much easier for men to call over spectators. Women tend to have the added but justified fear of "creepers." Some men are so lonely that if a pretty girl smiles at him, he thinks that she is partial to him, even if she is just doing her job. I believe this is a big reason that women tend to ignore spectators.

I had a man stalk me for a while. He was a Civil War spectator but a WWII reenactor. He found out my IM, showed up at both of my jobs and even sent me a photo of himself with an  underage reenactor (who I think I know in the blogging community.) This is a very real danger. I do not recommend inviting spectators to talk when you are all alone. Remember to be careful.

Library of Congress

 If you are a reenactor, please add some ideas in the comments. If you are a spectator, please tell us what you would like to see.

Rockahominie, Hominy and Grits

 

Grits is one of those American foods that people don't think about when trying to identify "American Cuisine." Grits is essentially parched, ground corn porridge and was introduced to the settlers at Jamestown as Rocahominie.

 The name "grits" comes from the terms used to define the grain size of sand and grain particles. In the early 1800s it was known as "grits," "groats" or "fine hominy." Fine Hominy seems to be the most common term but don't confuse it with what we know as hominy today, which is hominy before it is ground. 

Today it is seen as a Southern food but it was eaten by the Shawnee in modern-day West Virginia and the European colonists in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Foreigners commented that it was a popular food in all regions of the United States. It was popular all through the 19th and 20th centuries but today the majority of grits is sold in the South.

I was originally researching this as part of a short study on Civil War Era foods that do not have to be refrigerated. We have an event next week where I will be the only lady present in my group and I am considering giving the men period rations. :D It would never be allowed with the other ladies but the men have fun with it sometimes. I'll eventually write up a post of period food that does not have to be refrigerated and how modern inventions can help with the things some people have to have (coffee creamer, eggs, meat ect.)

We are going to be down south and it looks like grits are on the menu. In her diary, Sarah Morgan, a wealthy Southern refugee during the war noted on March 21st, "To be hungry is there an every day occurrence. For ten days, mother writes, they have lived off just hominy enough to keep their bodies and souls from parting, without being able to procure another article-- not even a potato."

Grits is one of those foods that we just never thought to cook at a reenactment but is a good food as it doesn't have to be refrigerated, can be kept in a period container without risking the integrity of it and a small amount makes a lot of food. 

You can also tell the spectators how sick you are of hominy. 

P.S. I am using "grits" in the singular as in "a bowl of grits." There are no set grammar rules for grits.

   

Neshaminy Civil War Reenactment 2011

This weekend was the Neshaminy Civil War Reenactment. The weather was very nice and it didn't rain! It almost always rains at Neshaminy and we end up moist all weekend. The park does not charge an admittance fee for the public and the park is very pretty, located right on the water.

While it is not an actual battle site, all of the proceeds go towards preservation efforts. We were surprised by getting to meet David Kincaid, who our whole group *LOVES.* He performs Civil War Irish music that is absolutely stellar. I think I have written about him on here before. I wish I would have thought to take a picture, I have my camera with me and just didn't think about it.

We bought his newest CD, which is a live album. Sometimes live albums are terrible but we were pleasantly surprised at how good this album was. There is no fiddle on this one but the fiddle parts are played on Uilleann pipes!

   
I don't know if any of you know this, but Andy and I live an hour away from each other. On our first date, I gave Andy my David Kincaid CD, The Irish Volunteer to listen to on the way home.

He had never heard of Irish music before but was instantly in love with it and it was that CD that led to Irish fiddling, bagpipes and Gaeilge. (At least I can pretend that his Irish music obsession reminds him of me. :D)  

The event was very fun. They did have to stop the battle for a real-life casualty which we heard was a broken eardrum from taking a hit. Ouch!

Photos from the Event:

 

 

All Children are gifted, are Gifts and have Gifts.

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
  --  Ralph Waldo Emerson in The Fortune of the Republic

Fetus study by Da Vinci, my favorite genius.

Yesterday, in school, we had to do an assignment in which we had to decide what we would do with an "academically gifted" student who didn't want to do his math homework as he didn't need to do it to get good grades on tests.  Many students believed that he should not be required to do the homework because he was, well, "gifted."

I dislike the term "gifted." I think that all children are gifted, are gifts and have gifts. But more importantly, it is not what gifts you start out with but the gifts you develop and share. Gifts are great but effort and gumption is equally valuable. I also think we tend to have a narrow view of what gifted is and forget that even truly academically talented students typically excel in one area and perform around average or below average in others.  

Also, academically gifted isn't the only type of gifted. Remember very few "academically gifted" students go on to be "gifted" adults because we judge adults not just on test scores or how quickly they can answer a math equation but by a plethora of other values, measures and accomplishments. 

Just think of all the " academically average" people who made an impact on the world and those who have made an impact on your life. You probably know some gifted artists, musicians, inventors, athletes, writers, actors, parents, dancers, ect. who never made the science and math based "gifted" cut. I have always been drawn to homeschooling because I believe that talents, interests and a willingness to learn have a better chance of being fostered at home. Curiosity and a  personal exploration of interests are traits that great minds have in common. We shouldn't quell curiosity and a love of learning in students by attaching labels to them.

Some great people who were told they would never amount to anything:

Albert Einstein-- We think of him as a genius today but as a child he was quiet and didn't get along with the other students in his class. He eventually learned through reading at home.  

Thomas Edison-- He was a curious student whose teachers described as being dull and confused. He tried many schools but was primarily educated at home by his mother.

Louisa May Alcott-- Although she was highly educated at home by her father, she did a variety of jobs before her literary success which included being a servant and an army nurse.

Madame CJ Walker-- The daughter of two freed slaves. She had very little education while she was young and got most of her formal education in church. When her daughter started elementary school, she learned along with her. After her hair product line was established, she hired a tutor to improve her reading and writing skills. 





 

I don't think it matters so much that they were homeschooled but they all succeeded when they studied and focused on things that interested them. Interests, curiosity and persistence really do count for something!

You're Exhuasted?--Reenacting and Spectators

After reading Ken's post on reenacting (found here), made me want to stomp off and pout in the corner like a three-year old. I felt it really is a problem many reenacting groups need to address. :D It's not that Ken was unfair to us civilians, no, he was right and we always feel guilty about it.












I feel that civilians often wish they could do more with the public but many of us have real-world responsibilities to take care of when the public is present. Many of us are watching children, cooking food, mending uniforms, cleaning dishes and we have deadlines to make. The soldiers spend a lot of time waiting around for battles to start that I feel they forget that we work nonstop from breakfast to dinner. Many of us, if we see the battle at all, can only spare a few minutes to do so.

If we stop for ten minutes to talk to spectators, the men will go hungry, the children will run around on fire and the dishes might never get done. :D At least, that's the way it works in our minds.

Keeping this in mind, I feel like Ken is absolutely right and it is not good for civilians (men and ladies) to snub the public. I know we feel like the "production crew" whereas soldiers are "the show" but the reality is that we are all on the stage and need to stay engaged with the show for the show to be good.     

So what can we as groups do?

- Arrange for a few low or no preparation meals and let everyone know you are content with meals like this.

Sometimes I think we feel if we don't make a nice meal that everyone won't have a good time. When I first started reenacting, I was told that the men were sick of soup and stews so we never cooked them. Cooking takes up most of our time and we are relieved when group members say "sandwiches are good."

-Designate people to speak with the public beforehand.

If your group is large enough, pick a few people whose only job that morning is to talk to the public. Frequently, spectators will walk by and everyone will look at each other to see who is going to talk to them but no one stands up and the spectators walk by. If you are someone who does not want to interact with the public or doesn't want to, let the other members know so they don't think you are ignoring them and follow your lead.

-Choose a topic to talk about or have a display that might inspire questions.

Many people feel off-guard when spectators come and they don't know what to talk about. Make sure to pick a few topic before hand and have materials ready. Alternatively you can put a display out that may inspire questions. This doesn't and probably shouldn't be a museum style display. Something as simple as having eggs being preserved in a bucket of ashes can lead to a discussion on preservation methods on the home front and their adaption on the move.    

-Evaluate what exactly is being done by the people in camp.

This seems like a no-brainer but there a lot of jobs the camp-followers are doing that aren't obvious. My least favorite job is "watching the fire."  We frequently have to look after fires if no one feels like putting it out and restarting it later, normally it is needed to boil water during a battle so the soldiers can clean their rifles. This is the most boring part of reenacting for civilians. There is no one to talk to: soldiers and spectators are at the battle. We finish cooking dinner quickly due to the lack of interruptions.  Many of us are so exhausted from the morning, we cherish this hour if only to take a nap (which you can't do if you are a fire-watcher.)

Sometimes the soldiers forget that there are things the civilians want to do too that we never get around to at events. I always bring a pencil and paper to draw but have only had time once to do this and It was when I was "watching the fire" when everyone else was at a barn raising :( . During reenactments we frequently ask ourselves "Why am I doing this? I can cook and clean at home."

So remember--if you want happy spectators, make happy civilians. Let them sit around the fire and drink tea with the ladies in the next camp. Don't overload them with tasks and then wonder why they avoid spectators. If you are a soldier, perhaps you might even assist them with some of the tasks like-- cleaning dishes or boiling your own water after the battle so the ladies can take a nap--hey, I can dream... :D Our soldiers know I'm just being hard on them.

Gentlemen of leisure. :)

I am definitely biased. I have never been in a battle, but I imagine it must be better than being a civilian as many women choose to be soldiers instead instead  and men cry when they are forced to be civilians. But I also realize that the battles are physically hard work. I'm waiting for the day when Andy decides that we should switch places, then I know I'll complain that the soldiers deserve those naps they take under trees. :D

You're exhausted? I saw you taking that nap during the battle.

Just remember, even if you don't like spectators, spectators help make reenacting possible. If we treat them poorly, we will eventually have our options limited, especially since a lot of government and state funding is being reduced. We need to keep people interested so battlefields and parks aren't turned into apartment complexes.