After Hours
We take our daytime activities very seriously - we compromise historical accuracy as little as possible, and we don't compromise on safety.
However, we're not all doom and gloom. In the evenings, most of us get changed back into modern clothes, (though it's not compulsory). We may sit around the campfire, and cook on barbecues or camping hobs, and have a few beers. We may go into town and eat at the local pub (assuming there is a pub - or a town, for that matter). At larger events there is often a beer tent, which is open to re-enactors after the event closes to the public, where you may see a WWII Russian chatting to a Native American and a Galactic Stormtrooper...
Roughly once a year we have a society party, at an event, which consists of a barbecue, and some drinks, provided by the group and "officers" as a thank you to the members who put in so much effort with no reward other than taking part. This has been known to be a fancy dress party (re-enactors are really good at fancy dress...).
Once the activities of the day are done, any daytime rank structure is left behind. Whether a member is an army commander or a water carrier, and whether they have been a member for twenty years, or for a month, they are equals, among a group of friends. (Warning: if you're a new member, and you call a "senior" member 'my lord', or somesuch, out of hours or 'offstage', there is a very high likelihood of you being laughed at!)
At the end of a show, we help each other pack up, if needed, and those who are able to stay share the packing up of the group van.
However, we're not all doom and gloom. In the evenings, most of us get changed back into modern clothes, (though it's not compulsory). We may sit around the campfire, and cook on barbecues or camping hobs, and have a few beers. We may go into town and eat at the local pub (assuming there is a pub - or a town, for that matter). At larger events there is often a beer tent, which is open to re-enactors after the event closes to the public, where you may see a WWII Russian chatting to a Native American and a Galactic Stormtrooper...
Roughly once a year we have a society party, at an event, which consists of a barbecue, and some drinks, provided by the group and "officers" as a thank you to the members who put in so much effort with no reward other than taking part. This has been known to be a fancy dress party (re-enactors are really good at fancy dress...).
Once the activities of the day are done, any daytime rank structure is left behind. Whether a member is an army commander or a water carrier, and whether they have been a member for twenty years, or for a month, they are equals, among a group of friends. (Warning: if you're a new member, and you call a "senior" member 'my lord', or somesuch, out of hours or 'offstage', there is a very high likelihood of you being laughed at!)
At the end of a show, we help each other pack up, if needed, and those who are able to stay share the packing up of the group van.
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