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DON'T BRING P E T S-- NOT IN THE SPECTATOR AREA--AND CERTAINLY NOT IN HOT VEHICLES
Don't arrive at the last minute (even an hour before a large event is too late). Several hours before the battle(s) you want to see be sure to be parked and have your sitting space marked out. You do not want to be standing in a ticket line halfway through a battle, or roaming around looking for a play to get a view because hundreds of spectators are between you and the event.
If parked anywhere near the battle field,
turn off your car alarm. Cannon fire will set them off. Having to
listen to hundreds or even dozens or even one alarm hooting and
yowling destroys the period mood.
Keep in mind that battle events have a rope line between the
spectator and battle areas that no-one is allowed to cross that line
( before, during or after the battle) for safety and insurance
reasons. You can be ejected for crossing that line.
Against the rope-line is row one for viewing. Normally the first ten feet back from the rope-line is reserved for spectators sitting flat on the ground. The next ten feet back is reserved for people sitting on folding chairs, coolers, whatever. From there on back into infinity is for people standing. In addition to that, at some events such as many at Gettysburg there is a bleachers area. But you have to pay extra for that.
If you sit in the first row, be alert at all times if horses are on the other side of the line closer than 20 feet. A horse can back up fast, covering that distance before you can take a breath.
Once you have your space, walk
through the camps and sutler's areas. Comment. Ask questions. Most
re-enactors love to explain what they're doing and why.
Be dressed to possibly walk through a rough section of cut
hayfield.
Bring some light plastic ponchos , in case it rains a lot.
Bring heavy-duty sunscreen and put it on children long before you think you need to
Sunglasses make viewing easier, especially if facing a battle to the west after noon.
Bring a hat, but nothing too wide-brimmed and floppy that can block other people's view.
An umbrella is good, but must go down during battles or demonstractions on the field.
Bring or buy water or other liquids--drink lots to avoid heat exhaustion. You don't have to be marching or fighting to suddenly be stricken with a headache, weakness, chills--signs of being too long in the heat.
Binoculars for close-up views of distant actions--helps kids stay more involved if the action is distant.
If you plan to sit near the front line and then tour around for food or other goodies at the sutlers' tents, bring an old blanket, etc., to save your space
To sit off the ground further back from
the spectator line, bring folding chairs or camp stools
If you tend to allergies, bring your medicine--just in
case.
Bring some tissue, in case the
porta-potty john you choose is all out
If you bring a camera, make sure to bring extra film--hard or
impossible to buy on-site.
Using a video camera, bring an extra battery and videotape.
Using any kind of camera, stay low, don't block people's view.
Videotape (with or without tripod) from a kneeling standing position only if you're in the back rows.
Glenn W. Le Boeuf "Never take pictures during the
battle by bobbing up and down or by standing in front of
seated spectators. Parents be advised to stick a
note in your kid's pocket telling them a rendezvous point in
case parents get separated from children." " Folks , don't come up to the
p.a and ask if your child to be paged by name to come to
security or the speaker area unless the event is a small
one. Large events can have dozens of kids separated from
parents and the spectators hate listenning to 1/2 hour of
names being read out. A few…..sure. More than
5….no. The announcer at the p. a. will normally
announce --without the names--that if anyone is missing
parents or kids..come to the speaker area or security tent.
" P.S. (and this is huge)…ask
that spectators ...please…please….
please…..share any and all sun-screen with strangers
sitting near them and around them…especially kids. We
had a WONDERFULL experience in Lexington Va. during a sunny
summer day when people were camped (burning)for two hours
waiting for the event to begin. The p.a. guy (me) asked that
ANYONE who had extra sun-screen please come to the speaker
area so that parents could put sun-screen on kids and
elderly parents. It was AMAZING!!! What a great, unselfish
group gathered for love of history and love of kids! About 3
dozen kids were spared the late night agony of bad sun-burns
by this!" NOTE: For old times sake, here's
a free plug for Glenn . Glenn is 1st Vice President &
Investments Financial Planning Specialist @ 800-524-2423 or
973-993-5250 ---EMAIL--
glenn.w.leboeuf@smithbarney.com
If you end up near artillery (cannon), if you can see its muzzle
(open end) at all, it's important to open your mouth a little when it
fires, to equalize the pressure levels against the inside and outside
of your ear-drum. You can tell when it will fire because the crew
will turn away from the cannon, protecting their ears just before it
fires. I'd recommend that you bring some sets of those heavy duty
sound retarding earplugs. Good ones are often bright orange. But
they're very inexpensive and with them in your ears you can still
hear talking and gunshots but cannon blast is severely
reduced.
Larger events usually have safe 'arty'
(artillery) placements (many yards from the nearest spectators). But
sometimes smaller events do not pay nearly as much attention to ear
safety as they could. So it's up to you. We've seen artillery set up
parallel to the spectator line and less than 20 feet from the
spectators. Spectacular, but not a good idea for all the eardrums
down the firing line. Be sure
that kids open their mouths too, especially small children. Even
better, palms over ears. If, after a shot, your ears feel a little
numb inside or are ringing, you may have just had some ear
damage--and so have the kids.
Don't be in a big rush to leave after the battle. Talk about what you
just saw. Kids often misunderstands lots of what's just happened and
it's a good time to ask a few questions and see what they go out of
it. Often they believe that Confederates are from some foreign
country since only the Union troops are fighting under what they
recognize as the "American" flag. They can understand the idea of
"brother against brother."
Have yourselves a little picnic after the event. There's likely to be a traffic jam if everyone tries to leave at once on country roads.
Most of all, enjoy yourselves and start thinking ahead to where's the next battle you can go to.
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