I am going to start my venture into living history. Can anyone help with a good place to get clothing and accouterments for this? Eventually I want to make some stuff on my own but for right now I just want the basics to get me started. Thanks for the advice

From a 20 year veteran, first you need to pick a time period and location that you want to recreate.

I've done a bunch, and each one has its own unique pieces. Some can be used in multiple times, but not all of them.

If you are going for pre-1840 rendezvous, it's a lot more "open" as far as accuracy. If you want strict historical accuracy, you need to focus down as narrow as you can.

Purchased, or made yourself, none of it is really cheap.

Good place to visit:

http://www.talking-bear.com/

I would like to eventually get to be able to do a couple of events that are close to home. One being mississinewa 1812 and feast of the hunters moon. These are both juried events and just getting started it's kind of overwhelming. I'm sure I'm going to make mistakes but I will learn from them and to me that's what it is all about.

I would highly suggest getting in contact with people from those events. They will be the best resources, especially for their own juried events.

Thanks for the help.

Most groups have fund raising auctions, where they frequently sell appropriate garb, that was donated by members that no longer wear it.

In my experience, some of members in juried groups are complete pieces of crap. One lunatic went off on me because he felt my garb was 20 years to late, after other members had approved it. I thought he was joking at first. If he was a younger, sturdier man, he would have regretted it more. Instead he just got an earful.

I was paid to teach, call and run the dance at The Fair at New Boston, at George Rogers Clark Park, which gets around 15,000 people at it. I also called and ran the dance for the reenactors only ball after the tourists left. It is an 1820s group .

Keith

The Historic Fall Trade Fair at Fort Piqua, is this weekend, October 18-19 at Johnston Farm in Piqua, Ohio. It's a good event to meet people at because the general public can go too. My mom lives only a few hundred yards from it. John Johnston, who was the Indian trader who founded the post was a close cousin of mine. My youngest uncle used to captain the canal boat there. The amount of reenactors used to be in the hundreds at some events there. Reenactors used to camp there for 5 or 6 weeks straight.

Keith