Join the Revolution this weekend
Location(s)
A fife tune from behind the fort. A field of canvas tents. A war whoop from the woods. The crack of a rifle. The boom of a cannon. It's the American Revolution, and it will be fought again at Fort Roberdeau this weekend.
The annual celebration known as Rev War Days will be held this weekend, July 14 and 15, 2007 at Fort Roberdeau, in Sinking 
Valley south of Tyrone, PA. I've been to the fort hundreds of times, but there's definitely something magical about Rev War Days. Typically, a couple of hundred re-enactors show up and set up an 18th century style camp for the weekend. These folks are really into this -- they wear the clothes, talk the talk, eat the food, and basically live life in the 18th century for a couple of days. With Fort Roberdeau, and the beautiful Sinking Valley as a backdrop, you'll think you've been carried back in time more than 200 years.
The weekend will be filled with all kinds of activities. Kids can try a selection of games that don't involve batteries or video screens. Expert cooks will be demonstrating how George Washington's meals were prepared. (You think YOUR kitchen gets hot? Just wait til you see Peggy and Nellie working around an open fire!) Stroll around the camp and chat with the soldiers and camp followers. Sutlers, or the 18th century version of the traveling salesman, will be there offering a variety of wares. There will be fashion shows and weapons demonstrations. And at the end of the day, if you've still got any energy left, join the dance in the barn.
As you approach the gate, you may be challenged by the guard -- just remember, you're a patriot, not a Tory!
The big excitement happens everyday at 3 p.m. That's when those darn Tories, and their Seneca allies, attack the fort. Come and cheer for your side!
So you think you can dance? Stick around for the Saturday night dance in the barn and find out.
Make sure you stop by the exhibit room in the downstairs of the barn -- there's a rumor that the archeologist just might be there talking about Fort Roberdeau in the American Revolution. The weather's going to be great, so see you there.
Comments
contras, beckets, duples, jigs and reels
Good posting, Paula. I stayed for the dance one year and got an education. It was cool. Do you know the vet doc, from Duncansville that teaches folk dancing from the Civil War era? I think it's John Wells? He does some interesting dances too.
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Prover
Re-enactors
No, I don't know the person you referenced. The folks in charge of the dance this weekend are from Alexandria, VA. I think there's a pretty big contingent coming from there, which will probably include puppet shows and other entertainments from the period.
It's always very fascinating; I find myself looking at the re-enactors more in my role as anthropologist rather than archeologist. What makes them spend every weekend masquerading as a person from another time? I think this may be a peculiarly American hobby. I know it happens in other cultures, but I don't think as extensively as it does here. Maybe because our history is relatively short compared to the Old World (for example, yesterday they celebrated the 650th anniversary of a bridge in Prague!), we feel that if we just keep reliving it, it will seem equally important. I don't know; the whole "history drag" (as a friend of mine refers to the dressing up and acting out) has always been a mystery to me.