War of 1812 Discovery Series (#4 - Continued)

by Judi McWilliams

Over the past few years the Festival Nomad and I have had wonderful experiences visiting War of 1812 Re-enactments around Ontario. We find these re-enactments amazing and extremely interesting! In this NEW War of 1812 Discovery Series, I want to share with you some of our experiences, while attempting to shed some light into the actual historic.

Do You Pass the Ten Foot Rule? (Part Three)
Beyond the actual re-enacting, I became aware of just how important being true to the Period Clothing was. Period Clothing now means, to us modern folk, that something is “old fashioned, junkie or, just outdated”! Ask someone “where’d you get that outfit … back in the 70’s?" and see what they say! Even the popular T.V. show “What Not To Wear” challenges people on “out-dated” clothing. However, Period Clothing to a re-enactor is clothing belonging to a very specific historical period and it needs to be is Period Correct in its accuracy! Apparently the "educated spectator" can be quite the “judgmental”! There are even terms used to demonstrate just how serious this "judgement" can be. The funniest term I found was “the ten foot rule”. This is a measurement from ten feet away. If it looks period from that distance, you just might pass! Who knows, from afar, if it's "leather or vinyl", has "too many threads per inch in the weave" or is "hand-made or factory made in Taiwan"? Apparently these “judgmental" spectators have disparaging remarks and names given to them from the re-enactors. Names such as “thread counters” and “garb snarks”. It’s a nasty game that I choose to stay out of! For us, we choose to enjoy all the extreme efforts put forth by the re-enactors and take pleasure being “transformed in time”!

War of 1812 Discovery Series (#4 - Continued)

by Judi McWilliams

Over the past few years the Festival Nomad and I have had wonderful experiences visiting War of 1812 Re-enactments around Ontario. We find these re-enactments amazing and extremely interesting! In this NEW War of 1812 Discovery Series, I want to share with you some of our experiences, while attempting to shed some light into the actual historic.

Do You Pass the Ten Foot Rule? (Part Two)
The Festival Nomad and I have encountered such re-enactors and find that they truly added to our experience. Sometimes it’s even funny! Several highly skilled re-enactors stayed so much in character that it was difficult to follow the conversation. They spoke solely in the context of the period! Another time, two young re-enactors, although asked specific questions, kept within the period, as they answered the visitor’s questions. What was most impressive about these young re-enactors, in particular, was that when not being spoken to they continued the conversation between themselves in the period language. While visiting our nephew's War of 1812 re-enactment, it became obvious to us, again, just how important and seriously these young re-enactors take on their roles. In this case, the “battle” was taking place far down the field. This was where the majority of spectators were observing. We just happened to be at the other end of the field where the last batch of soldiers would join the battle. There were hardly any spectators there. However, the young re-enactors played their roles perfectly with all the correct commands bellowed and all the battle procedures followed! It seemed that these young re-enactors were drawn into the period, oblivious to “the spectators”. It was very real to them! They had become "living history"! By the re-enactors keeping within the framework of the battle, they drew us in and made the experience all the more enjoyable.
(To be continued)

War of 1812 Discovery Series (#4)

by Judi McWilliams

Over the past few years the Festival Nomad and I have had wonderful experiences visiting War of 1812 Re-enactments around Ontario. We find these re-enactments amazing and extremely interesting! In this NEW War of 1812 Discovery Series, I want to share with you some of our experiences, while attempting to shed some light into the actual historic.

Do You Pass the Ten Foot Rule? (Part One)
We have acquaintances who are “Professional Re-enactors”. Some of them have extensive collections of weapons and costumes. Being “Period Correct” in uniform, weapons and language seem to be a high priority for 1812 re-enacting and re-enactors! If a re-enactor is wise, he/she will do his/her homework! There are many terms used to help navigate and keep the accuracy of a re-enactment true. Knowing what you are doing will help with the continuity of the re-enactment. Beginning with the language spoken, for example, a person who chooses to be a “Representative Interpreter” attempts to accurately portray a character that did not actually exist but could have existed based on historical research. “First Person” interpretation is a person portraying someone from the past who has no knowledge of modern life and doesn’t “drop character”. This leads to the “My time – Your time” interpreter who may say such things as “In my time we didn’t know about 'fast food' as you do in your time”. These interpreters know about the modern times as well as the past. This sometimes helps the interpreter communicate with visitors better than the “First Person” interpreter.
(To be continued)