So I have been reading the AAR’s and talking to some pards about the Cedar Creek event this year and it kind of got my wheels turning a little. I didn’t get to go to C.C. this year so I won’t comment on anything myself but I just have been hearing about the same old same old problems that have been there for years. But, again I want comment on things I didn’t actually see.
What I really want to talk about is the change in events that seems to be going on through out the hobby as a whole. Now the reason I posted this on this forum is the nature in which this forum holds discussion. Just want to get some feed back and good talk going with a positive type feel. My observation  has been that the hobby has quickly changed to events that are put on by us, the reenactor. I don’t mean strictly EBUFU events of the CPH mold I mean small M.S. events that are know being run by folks who are actually in the hobby.
My point is some things change for the good and some for the worse I think if this trend continues it could be the thing that drives a shot of life into the hobby. I would like to share a quick success story with everyone if I may.
I was privileged to help out with an event this Month that has been ridiculed, exposed, and used at one point as the poster child for Ultra FarbFest. The event is JEB Stuart(held on the birth place of the General in Patrick County Va. My home town).
The event, if you’re not familiar with it, is put on by the JEB Stuart trust and is an annual fundraiser for the preservation of the site. But, for years the event was bad, I mean real bad. Well about 3 years ago after low attendance by both spectators and participants, and countless problems with some of the bottom rung folks that would show up, the event staff wanted a change. It came in the form of all matters of the event being handed to two quality Mainstream units. This year was the first full year of those units running the show.  Here are some of the things that changed:
-Organized and segregated camps.
-Command structure on both sides with HQ and functional staffs
-No cars in camp. (Guards posted at gates going in, easy)
-Two 60-75 man battalions(CS) and one 125 man battalion(US) with historical scenarios used that would make ratios look realistic and where regiment vs. regiment style combat was portrayed.
- Safety rules enforced.
-Military protocol followed(Guards, reports, parade etc.)

I know this stuff sounds like and is no brainers. But, if you could have seen this event a few years back you would understand that this is a huge step forward for it and the site that it is raising money for. This event will never be CPH and doesn’t try to be but, it is turning into a quality MS event.
My question is….Can this happen to them all? Is this what’s happening? Is the Anders style event mold taken hold all over or can it ever do so? Isn’t it time to take some ownership of the event’s that we attend? This is not a CPH, MS thing, I am just starting to notice a trend.
So please give some thoughts.
Thanks!

Chris,

Here in eastern Pennsylvania there are a number of spectator battle reenactments put on by Mainstream groups. The two I'm most familiar with are Neshaminy and Ridley Creek. Neshaminy has around 1,500 participants, while Ridley Creek has around 300 participants.

Both events have made efforts to improve the authenticity of the events without turning them into CPH light affairs. Overall, I think there has been some success in this effort. You might want to read Mike Schaffner's AAR concerning this year's Ridley.

There is one very simple fact about events. The bigger they are, the greater the number of units, with various visions of what the event should be, will be attending. Chris Anders puts on excellent events; but, he also limits the number of participants and makes the rules for his events very clear. Most important, those rules get enforced.    

Quote :

Bill wrote :  Chris Anders puts on excellent events; but, he also limits the number of participants and makes the rules for his events very clear. Most important, those rules get enforced.

Bill

I think you are on to something when you mention the enforcement of rules.

I think some of the events that have been around for a long time, people know that the rules aren't going to be enforced so they do what they want.  It is like trying to suddenly discipline a child that has not had any rules for 10 years and now that they are causing trouble you want them to obey..  You have 2 choices:
1) Give up and don't enforce the rules.
2) Hold on tight and enforce the rules through the tantrums.

In Ander's case he has chosen the 2nd option and I am sure he has gotten plenty of flack behind the scenes for being such a stickler for the rules.  But I think it has helped those events be more enjoyable for those who have attended them.  I know it has been for me.

Once you show you are willing to enforce the rules, you may see the increase in the groups that want to attend and then you can look at improving the scenarios.  In the case of Ridley, I remember doing the event back in 1999 and it was about the size it is now (300 - 500 maybe) and then a couple years later it had dwindled to about 100 total.  And now it has taken a resugance and while it will never be a huge event, we found it is a great event to help fresh fish get experience at.

Anyways this is the long way to say I think Bill has the right idea with his answer.

In Pennsylvania, how about the Old Bedford Village event(s)?

The "successful" event model applies to much of life. Set expectations and goals, then make sure everyone knows what they are. If the event organizers make those things quite clear, repeat their expectations over and over, then take steps to make sure they're met, be it Winter of 64 or Neshaminy, the participants will see the event as successful.


Pre event:
Not to oversimplify things but, if the event particiapant, has the event expectations communicated to them(repeatedly) and they know before the event what to expect, their experience is immediatly improved. And, at the same time, those who do not wish to deal with expectations don't attend. It's a win/win situation.

Event(at the):
The event organizers must have the means in place to enforce thier goals and expectations with an iron fist and with no exceptions. It only takes one "idiot" to ruin someone's event experience and one well executed event to give you the reputation you need to continue twords your goals.

Post Event:
Review what you think you could have done better. Ignore internet criticism; only respond with the question, "What could have you done to help rectify the situation or make the event better?"

My worthless .02

Grumpy, truer words have seldom been spoken.  Your two cents make a lot of sense.  If one follows your advice then all the debates over categories and varying degrees of authenticity sort of fall by the wayside.  And that's a good thing.

Mr. Owens, I think you've also hit on something.  I have a feeling that if the hobby is to survive, much less flourish and grow, it will result more from the incremental improvement of smaller, local, unpretentious events across the country than on a handful of more highly touted ones, whether they're the super-authentic boutique LH or the major "save-the-mainstream" battle scenario.  

Nothing wrong with those -- I enjoyed the last W64 and look forward to the next one.  I am also glad to have helped with the Anders-Air events.  But I think the folks who put on Ridley Creek should be proud, too, and I'm happy to hear that you have something like that near you.  

I'd like to get down and see it myself some time.

These were the "rules" for the Confederate participants at the last Neshaminy and they were enforced:

After you have registered, please report to Confederate Headquarters, where you will be directed to your unit’s camping area. There will be a separate civilian camp, but depending on your unit’s regulations, civilians will be allowed to camp with their units. Military camps should be set up in accordance with Confederate regulations, with allowance for the space available.  

There will be no cars in camp from 9:00 AM on Saturday, until the conclusion of the event on Sunday afternoon. If you arrive late, or must leave early, you can park along the road next to the camp and carry your stuff in or out. This rule will be strictly enforced.

There will be no visible anachronisms during spectator visiting hours. This would include, but not limited to coolers, modern food containers & packaging, railroad lanterns, and sleeping bags. The camps will be inspected for anachronisms during the day.

Modern beverage containers will be kept out of sight at all times. Do not place empty beverage containers in the Park’s trash cans. Pack them out with you when you leave the site.

Drunken or boisterous behavior will not be tolerated. Quiet hours will be from Mid-night until Reveille. Please be considerate of your fellow reenactors, and observe these rules.

Straw will be available at a minimal cost.  Please buy what you need to sleep on, and no more. The straw is not to be used as seats around the fire. Please seal the bottom of your tent from the inside, and do not pile straw between tents. This is a major fire hazard. Straw can carry fire from one tent to the next in a matter of seconds.  

There is plenty of firewood on site, and more is available. Please take what you need, as you need it. Vehicles will not be used to carry firewood to the campsites. Any surplus firewood will be put back on the piles at the conclusion of the event. Fire pits may be dug. Do not put trash in the pit, and insure the pit is filled in and sod is replaced at the conclusion of the event.

If you have any problems or questions concerning the event, please bring them to the attention of your NCO’s or Officers. If, for some reason, you cannot get satisfaction, please feel free to discuss your situation with the HQ’s Staff. Our goal is to insure that every participant has a positive experience.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation,
Colonel Bill Rodman,
Commanding

We have the support of the Park Rangers. I like to say that our rules are enforced by people with Glocks! Bringing your car on site gets you a parking ticket the costs between $15 and $100 dollars.

Chris,

In the mid-to-late 1990s, we had a lot of fun at the annual Laurel Hill, primarily bringing along a good number of federals to the event from the usual dual impression gang. I'm trying to recall if we went three or four times, but other events began to take over that time slot.

Sad to hear Laurel Hill went into the toilet at some point, but it is good news to learn of a grassroots effort to bring it back from the depths of farbdom.  This scenario repeats itself as an event cycles through a number of years and once in a while one has to bottom out badly before people step in for a fix'r up session.

Some would be quick to claim this local and regional event improvement is the trickle down effect from EBUFU, but I don't believe they'd be 100% correct.

Several of the nicer events down here in the Gulf Coast region did not start off that way. They evolved from local heritage/community festivals.  These were carnival like affairs.  Civil War reenactors were stuck in between pony rides and off key gospel singers.  

When the civic government, community service organizations, and other sponsors lost interest, Civil War reenactors continued hosting them as reenactments.  Several of these have survived that transition and turned into really pleasant mainstream type events.  And being honest, a few  were unable to sustain themselves and faded to oblivion.  

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : Some would be quick to claim this local and regional event improvement is the trickle down effect from EBUFU, but I don't believe they'd be 100% correct.

Charles,

I think the overall improvement in the authenticity of folk's individual impressions can be directly attributed to the CPH side of the Hobby. It was really a matter of showing people what was available and developing a market for the higher quality suppliers, many of which now depend on the Mainstream side of the Hobby for a good portion of their business.

Now days, there's really not many events that aren't organized by reenactors, to one extent or another. I feel this reenactor involvement has had a very positive effect on quality of events.

Great Post! Thanks,

Micheal and Charles thanks for the thoughts and I hope both of you can make it down to SW VA for this sometime.

The rules thing is a biggie. I was on staff at Laurel Hill this year and we had a few issues with folks(mainly cars in camp) and it was alot worse last year. But, the rules are sinking in. Some folks have and won't come back. Luckly the idea that if they don't play by the rules than that isn't the kind of folks anyway, is sinking in.

I can only post observations from a 5 yr. reenactor and a 2 time Laurel Hill participant (this year being the second), but here goes. I'm a mainstreamer who would probably be a more progressive type, but I refuse to leave my boy and wife at home, especially when they love the hobby as much as I. The first time I was there was 3 years ago as a private in a unit that was considered upper crust, if you will, in the mainstream. We had a great time, but I was not pleased with the numbers of barefoot boys and long haired gal troops at the event, as well as the blatant anachronisms everywhere.
 This year, I attended as 2nd Sgt. of my unit, which I helped form last year. We have stressed authenticity (within a mainstream perspective)and have managed to go from 7 disgruntled ex members of the old unit to 18 members of the new unit. Upon arrival at Laurel Hill on Friday afternoon, I was pleased with the speed in which we were registered. I was also pleased to find that in addition to our max effort in our unit, we had other troops joining in, which gave us 22-24 troops for both days. After the usual Fri. evening brouhaha of getting camp set up, I set off to visit friends in the Confederate camp. As I wandered, being a farb police type, I kept a weather eye out for anachronisms. Even on Fri. evening, the camps that I visited looked great. Knowing the folks I was visiting, I would have expected nothing less, but I was still pleased. It seemed as if everyone was making a conscious effort to look their best.
 I know a lot of the folks who were the host unit as well as the event coordinators from past Laurel Hill events. I've heard a lot of gossip and innuendos, which I won't repeat. I also have served with Terry Shelton on several occasions, and he is the overall commander at an event my SCV Camp sponsors (The Battle In The Blue Ridge). I believe that Laurel Hill, under the guidance of the folks who ran it this year, is headed in the right direction.
 As to the rules, it's very simple. Make them plain, in BOLD type, and stick to them. For example, at Laurel Hill, we expected to, and were asked, to supply gate pickets for one hour. Easy enough. Rather than send a couple of semi-experienced privates, we sent a Grizzled no nonsense Sgt. and a Cpl. They turned away some folks because of the no provost pass/no admittance rule. Fair rule. I paid my registration and have a pass. Get yours! If you don't want to play by the rules, it's real simple. Go Home! The rules at Laurel Hill were no different that what we've come to expect. The big difference was, they stuck to them, which may have ruffled some feathers. So be it. My troops were happy when they left, and were glad the rules were enforced.
 For those who have a preformed opinion of Laurel Hill (like I had), think again. If Chris and the rest of the gang stick to their guns, so to speak, this event can become a top shelf mainstream event once again. I know that my unit will make it a max effort next year. The battle scenarios were good both days, both sides stuck to the scenario and we gave the spectators a good show.
 I have 2 gripes about the event. 1. We could have used another portajohn at the bottom of the hill. 3 weren't quite enough to take care of the morning rush. Granted, there were sited in the shade, which made a midday trip cooler. 2. The Little Round Top fight on Sat. was great, but after advancing and retreating through the same briar thicket several times (it being on a steep hill) I was more than ready to take a hit when we came out on the top. Don't take either gripe seriously Chris, because they are of the "oh well, if that's the worst criticism we get, we're doing great type". Pass along my thanks to everyone for a job well done!

Sgt. Gregg Hensley
22nd NC, Co K
The McDowell Boys

Gregg,

I posted the rules for the Confederate Camp at Neshaminy for a reason. They are simple and I believe, easy to understand. You will notice there is nothing about individual impressions in these rules. There are impression guidlines published elsewhere, but they are just that, guidelines. Each Confederate participant is handed this this short list of rules when they register. Eliminates the excuse of "I didn't know".

These rules were enforced and that is not always easy. I have found that in the Hobby and in life in general; there is always a small group of people who figure the rules are for everybody but them. We are lucky that the Park Rangers support the event. If push comes to shove. The rules will be enforced by a guy with a Glock. Thank God, other than a few parking tickets, it has never come to that.

Having said that common sense trumps rules every time. A couple of years ago, a portion of our campsite got flooded Saturday night and a good number of people wanted to leave. As a result, we lifted the ban on vehicles for an hour, or so, on Sunday morning.  

The Neshaminy rules are good ones...sound, reasonable, etc. My unit would have no problems following those. Sometimes, the Creator messes with the best laid plans, and in your case, it was reasonable to lift the vehicle ban for a short time.
 My observations from the '05 Laurel Hill maybe should be elaborated on, at least to clarify my previous post. The rules were pretty much the standards for a mainstream event. It seemed to me that several units gave them a glance and said "Yeah, whatever". I was surprised, although being a fresh fish, I hadn't seen a lot or been to many events. Numerous vehicle owners had to be hunted down Sat. morning to move their vehicles. I'm not talking 2 or 3, but 20 or 30. This at 11 am. I overheard some rude comments from the offending parties, such as, "I'll move my truck when I leave." One attending unit prided themselves on their Daniel Boone impression. I saw enough bear claws, turkey feathers and Hawkens to last me for a while. Barefoot, pants rolled to their knees, and half a company of scrawny,very long haired girls completes their impression, except for the truly ancient fellow carrying the colors.
This years event was a big turnaround. The rules were enforced, and the units that had created problems previously, were either not there, or played by the rules. I didn't see a vehicle in any camp after 8 am Sat. until battle close on Sun. I don't recall seeing any animal parts whatsoever, nor long haired blonde female orderly sergeants.
I guess my 2 cents in all of this discussion is that a mainstream event can be a quality experience, but every unit should know whats expected of them. You're very correct Bill when you say that enforcing the rules isn't easy. Having helped host an event for 4 years now, I've seen some reenactors who just don't get it. If an event posts rules, sticks to them and refuses to compromise, the event will only benefit. No matter how farby or hardcore the event may be, this is what we expect from you. Laurel Hill is a good example. They decided to turn the event around from what had been billed as a farbfest and make it a higher quality event. I think it worked, at least to my limited view. Still mainstream, but the attending units did a good job. I was pleased with the event staff's efforts to improve the event and create a better event, both for taters and reenactors.

Gregg Hensley
22nd NCST, Co. K
The McDowell Boys

Chris,

Our party of six passed through SWVA twice this weekend. The trip was very nice.

Gregg,
Thanks for the feed back  and kind words. I will pass them along. Charles oddly enough I was in Charleston SC this weekend seeing the sights and got an invite to come back next spring to do some reenacting. Need to give me a yell next time your in the area and will get some coffee and a pancake.
Thanks again,
Chris Owens