(This is the first in a series this week about the WWII event at Old Bedford Village this past Weekend.)
Old Bedfore Village had its annual 1940’s weekend over August 8 and 9 and this year was bigger and better than ever. There was a greater diversity of Reenacting units than ever before. In particular, there was a very good turnout of US impressions which we hadn’t seen before. These included a large contingent of 101st Airborne as well as my favorite army nurses, Patricia and Karen portraying a PTO hospital unit, complete with mosquito netting. There were two Soviet units, our 193rd Rifle Division and the 150th Guards. A number of German units were there, including the sponsors, Grossdeutschland, as well as 9th SS and 2nd Gebirgjagers. There was also a new unit of Eastern Volkssturm. This is just a partial list, but there were a lot of good impressions. The weather also cooperated with just a hint of rain on Saturday evening, but that did not amount to much.
As most of you know, OBV is one of finest reenacting and living history sites in the east. The management goes out of their way to accomodate reenactors from the 18th Century through WWII. This weekend demonstrated that. There was also a fine spagetti dinner Saturday evening, immediately followed by the traditional luau.
I had arrived on Friday evening and was able to get my basic camp set up before dark. This is one of the closest events which I usually attend, which makes it particularly attractive. Saturday, we arose early and got the camp squared away before 9:00am, when the public began to drift in. There was a constant stream of visitors both days and we had the opportunity to have some good interaction with interested tourists.
Sunday was hotter and we discovered that the ice cream shop was willing to fill our Russian cooking pots with coke floats for a reasonable price. This may not have been period, but it certainly was an antidote for the heat and the weariness that comes on the 2nd day of an event. On Saturday night, I went on a secret mission for STAVKA and infiltrated the German ranks as a Volkssturman. While this may have confused a few folks, it certainly was less confusing than the 17th Century pirates who showed up. Arrrr! The luau takes on a life of its own (and this isn’t even counting the Tiki god!)
This is a great event and is centrally located for a lot of folks. If you haven’t attended in the past, plan on it for next year (assuming that Bedford County doesn’t run the village out of business-more on that later this week.) Much thanks to all the comrades who helped with the 193rd camp also to all the fellow reenactors who contributed to a great weekend for all.
For more information on OBV, see:
http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com
Pictures from the Weekend:
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