Tag: Pennsylvania
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Troops and Trains 2011 pt. I
Bill and Linda Donegan attended the annual Troops and Trains event in Strassburg, Pa over the weekend of November 5th. Here is their report: Strasburg, Pa November 4, 2011 had dinner with Dave and Lois Nowack. Saturday November 5,2011 we had breakfast with the Nowacks. Linda and I dressed in Civil War attire and…
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Ike Farm 2011
On the weekend of September 17th, I had a lot planned. Some friends had asked me to accompany them to an airshow at Martinsburg in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. This was an opportunity to visit some good friends and take in an attraction that I had not seen before. As anyone who watches…
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New Oxford 2011
The following is an account of the ‘Liberation of New Oxford’, which occurs concurrently with the Ike Farm living history. Another bravura effort by our tireless Bill Donegan: Linda and I found another great WW2 event just 9 miles east of Gettysburg. It is New Oxford. The scenario is Alsace being first deserted by German…
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Trolly-la-la-la
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum near Washington, Pa. held it’s annual Antique Trucks and Trolleys event on Sunday, August 28. The 28th Infantry set up a living history display as usual and a fine time was had by all. This is a fun event with a lot happening for everyone involved. Naturally, there are trolley rides…
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Remagen Reenactment – 2011
Bill Donegan (aka. Helmut Heudlass) reports from the front at Tidioute, PA on this past weekend’s reenactment of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge by American forces. I was wounded on the eastern front and was sent to Remagen to the hospital to recuperate. When released from krankenhause I was permitted to stay…
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Reading Volume II
The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s WWII weekend is one of the two biggest events that I attend annually. There aren’t a lot of shows that offer such a combination of lot’s of WWII aircraft, reenactors and militaria vendors. Unfortunately, the show has been increasingly mired in complaints from the reenactors about their treatment at the…
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First Report from Reading
The following is a review of last weekend’s Reading Airshow by our correspondent, Mike Momot: Hello all, Richelle did a wonderful job with the registration process. I felt this worked quite nicely. It certainly would have been better to have later registration hours Thursday and Friday nights for those coming from far away,…
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Report II from FIG/GAP 2011
The following is Bill Donegan’s report on this year’s FIG event from the perspective of the German chaplin: Report from FIG/GAP 2011 I was glad to have been at the GAP again this year. I am glad also that it was not too cold. I wish to thank Pete and Kate Gentry, and Brad and…
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GAP 2010
January 25th through the 28th saw me once again trekking up to Fort Indiantown Gap for the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment/ living history extravaganza/militaria vendor mall. As usual, it was a large affair with a lot of activities for the WWII living historian. This year, for the first time, I got there on…
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Old Bedford Village – East Front Tactical 2010
The annual Fall Eastern Front event was held at Old Bedford Village on the weekend of November 12-14. This year offered an interesting change from the usual format. Rather than just a series of firefights between the combatants, this year involved a day-long scenario in which German units (in this case, Grossdeutschland and 11th Panzer)…
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Great War Association Fall Event – 2010 pt.2
On the weekend of November 6, I was able for the first time, to take part in a WWI event at the GWA site at Newville, PA., thanks to the support and loan of equipment from John Pepper and Keith Allen. The group I was with, is La Legion Russe, which portrays “a machine gun…
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PA Trolley Museum 2010
Another post that is a ‘little’ late. It has been a very busy Fall. On the weekend of September 11-12, the PA Trolley Museum near Washington, PA hosted the annual Antique Truck Show. As is customary,28th Division, 110th RCT, K Company,set up a WWII living history display as part of the show. As I have…
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Ike Farm – 2010
I attended the Ike Farm WWII Weekend on September 18. This was the first time in several years that I had gone and pleasantly, it seemed that it had grown since the last time I was there, although, it may just be that I can’t remember that much about the last time. There were two…
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Russian Mosaic Festival 2010
This was submitted by Reenactorpost Correspondent, Mike Momot: The Russian Mosaic Festival 19 September 2010 Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA The Russian Mosaic Festival is a celebration of Russian life and culture and includes the many republics of the former Soviet Union. People come from far and wide to celebrate in the festivities at this fine…
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Decision for Justice William Smith House Coming Soon
Here’s the latest from Karen Ramsburg on the Smith house, soon to go to Ireland….? “Decision in Fate of Justice William Smith House Approaching MERCERSBURG, PA- One thing is for sure now, the Justice William Smith House has two options: it will be shipped to Ireland or bulldozed to the ground. Mercersberg, Montgomery, Peters and…
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Jollytown Civil War Memorial – A Job Well Done
On September 4, 2010, the Reenactorpost and the Sons of Union Veterans drove to Jollytown, PA and cleaned up the Jesse Taylor Civil War memorial and repainted the guns. The SUV commander, Matt Gillespie, had gotten Lowe’s in Buckhannon to knock 50% off the cost of two gallons of Rustoleum. One can was olive drab…
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Smith House – Fire Department accepting Demolition Bids
The latest and grimmest news out of Mercersburg concerning the Justice William Smith House, as reported by Roscoe Barnes on http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_16273782?source=email “If retired historian Richard MacMaster comes in with the lowest bid, then the house, one of the oldest in Mercersburg, could go to the Ulster-American Folk Park in Ireland — a place designated for…
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USS Olympia – Are We Going to Lose This National Treasure?
On Sunday, September 19, I toured the cruiser USS Olympia with my friend, Don Taylor. We were in Philadelphia for the Russian Mosaica Festival and took the opportunity to check out this historic vessel. I had, of course, seen many pictures of ships of the “Great White Fleet”, but had never experienced actually boarding one.…
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Old Bedford Village Living History 2010
Old Bedford Village has been described as the ‘Jewel of Reenacting’ in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I certainly agree. One of the premier events that I look forward to each summer is the annual OBV 1940’s weekend. It is always laid-back, interesting and fun. This year was no exception. Between John Niemiec, Craig Hall and…
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After action report Old Bedford Village 9 August 2010 (Axis Perspective)
Bill Donegan participated in some of the skirmishing at Old Bedford Village during the 1940’s Living History Weekend on August 7-8. Here is his report: The Germans were in control of the village. It was a beautiful summer day, the sky was clear and blue, no humidity and about 75 degrees fahrenheit. Villagers were out…
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Gettysburg Cyclorama 2010
The following is a report by guest commentator, Matt Gillespie, on the Gettysburg Cyclorama which has been moved to the new Visitor’s Center: My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010. What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA. None of…
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More on the Justice Smith House
Here are the latest updates from Karen Ramsburg regarding the Justice Smith House: Hi everyone, With great excitement and plenty of research work ahead I want to introduce http://smithrebellion1765.com. It is a living document as we continue to sort through primary sources related to the events surrounding William and James Smith and the Black Boys…
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Houston Freedom Fest
The Houston Freedom Fest was held on July 3rd, 2010 in the park behind the American Legion in Houston, PA, and is sponsored by the Central Christian Church of Meadowlands. The 28th Infantry, Co. K was invited to attend and set up an encampment. We all got to the park Friday evening and set up…
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Save the Justice William Smith House (continued…)
Here is a short update from Karen Ramsburg concerning the ongoing effort to save the Smith House in Mercersburg, PA.: To all: We are pleased to have received a letter of support from Professor of History, Kevin Kenny of Boston College, author of the recently published book on the Paxton Boys titled Peaceable Kingdom Lost.…
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Reading Airshow 2010
Another June, another Reading! For any readers who don’t know, Reading Airshow is the largest gathering of WWII reenactors and enthusiasts on the east coast, with the possible exception of the Gap. There is no other gathering of this many WWII aircraft in one place, of which I am aware. The 193rd Rifle Division has…
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Return to Jollytown
Last year, on May 4th, to be exact, Mark Tennant wrote in this space, about our trip to the villages of Brave and Jollytown, PA to visit the graves of Civil War soldiers. On Sunday, April 18th, Mark and I once again journeyed to these villages to again visit the graves of Union Civil War…
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Fire and Rain – Newville 2010
James Taylor may not have been at Newville this past weekend (March 12-13), but there was a lot of firing and plenty of rain…not to mention mud. Despite this, the hardy reenactors who ventured out into the trenches seemed to have a rip-roaring time. The event at the Great War Association site was sponsored by…
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Old Bedford – The Axis Perspective
Here is a report on the OBV tactical from the German perspective by Bill Donegan: Report of Elbe Tactical. It was cold enough to freeze the _____off a brass monkey at Old Bedford last week-end Feb 20, 21, 22, 2010. Thanks goes out to Gilbert White, Roger Bombard, Ray Partenheimer, the Second Gebirgs and Et…
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Mercersburg’s Most Historic House Attracts Penn State Professors
This is the latest update on the situation on the historic Smith House in Mercersburg, PA, from Karen Ramsburg: The Justice William Smith House, circa 1759 is gaining recognition after two distinguished Penn State Professors of History and Art/Architecture have taken an interest in the property. Dr. William Pencak respected author and historian and Dr.…
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Old Bedford Village Tactical Event -February 2010
On the weekend of February 20th, I accompanied Bill Donegan to Old Bedford Village for the second annual ‘Elbe Crossing’ event, sponsored by the 2nd Gebirgs. Yeah, I know there are those who can’t stand Elbe events because this sort of contact between Soviet and Western Allied forces during the war was extremely rare, and…
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Fort Indiantown Gap – 2009
The 2010 reenacting season kicked off for me and many others with the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment at FIG. Once again I rode along with Bill and Linda Donegan, who were kind enough to chauffeur me where I needed to go. I went as Volkssturm this year and was housed with the German…
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WWII – Two Upcoming Events
After you get done with all your shopping at FIG, it will be time to start getting ready for the first two Eastern Front events in the southern PA area. The first is: The Elbe Crossing February 20, 2010, at Old Bedford Village. The scenario is the final days of the Reich. All Allied units…
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Book Review-“Destined to Witness”
The following is a review of a most interesting book by Bill Donegan: When Linda was at the Eisenhower Farm event this past September, she visited the 99Th infantry US Army. They had a book table, One of the books that caught her eye was entitled “Destined to Witness” by Hans J.. Massaquoi. On the…
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Mercersburg – A Further Discussion
As part of coverage of the ongoing fight to save the Justice William Smith House, we present more discussion by Tim McCown in the Philadelphia Progressive Examiner : “Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is when both sides of an argument allow emotion to trump common sense. In the case of the Justice William…
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Does Anyone Care About American History Anymore?
The following is a link sent to us by Karen Ramsburg concerning the Smith House in Mercersburg, PA. We ran an article about it earlier this year. It would appear that things have taken a turn for the worse. Once again, we seem to have short-sighted local officials who don’t seem to give a hoot…
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OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS EVENING CIVIL WAR STYLE
Here is a report from Nick Korolev on the December 5 Civil War weekend at Old Bedford Village: Saturday, December 5 was the first installment in Old Bedford Village’s Old Fashioned Christmas Evening two weekend event. First weekend is 19th Century and Dec. 12th will be 18th Century. The living history group I am with…
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Remembrance Day Weekend 2009 – Gettysburg,PA
The following is a report from Nick Korolev on this year’s Gettysburg Remembrance Day: Remembrance Day in Gettysburg, PA gives all reenactors and living historians a time and place to gather to officially honor those who gave their last full measure for what they believed in. This year the weather could not have been better…
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Eastern Front – Old Bedford Village 2009
On November 13-14, German forces once again occupied Old Bedford Village and were confronted by the inexorable tide of the Red Army. This was of course, the annual fall battle between Grossdeutschland Division and the 193rd Rifle Division. Other groups in attendance included 11th Panzer (and one Bulgarian) on the Axis side and the 9th…
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Victory at Old Bedford Village – Report from the Front Lines
The following is an email that we received from Roger Kirwin, the director of Old Bedford Village regarding the efforts to save the Village over the past few months.The Reenactor Post is proud to be a supporter of OBV and we salute them on their success in keeping the doors open! Dear Jim, Good to…
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Troops and trains – Strasburg PA 2009
Bill and Linda Donegan file this report on the “Troops and Trains” event at the Strasburg, PA Railroad attraction. Linda and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Strasbourg, PA for the “Troops and Trains” living history event on November 6, 7 and 8, 2009. Surprisingly, I took few photographs this year, because my impression was that of a…
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Soldiers’ Christmas at Ft. Mifflin
Thanks to Chris Barebo for this notice. Sounds like a nice one-day event for reenactors in the Philadelphia area. – Ed. EVENT: Soldiers Christmas at Fort Mifflin. WHEN:Friday, Dec. 4th from 5:00pm to 10pm. LOCATION: Fort Mifflin, Fort Mifflin & Hog Island Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19153 Phone: 215-685-4167 CONTACT: Lee Anderson for more details: leeanderson@fortmifflin.us…
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Portersville Steam Show – 28th Infantry Living History
The weekend of October 3 and 4 marked the first time that Co. K of the 28th Infantry Division, 110th Regiment, participated in the Portersville Steam Show at Portersville, Pa. This is a very nice event which is put on by the Northwest PA Steam Engine and Old Equipment Association Inc. It offers an opportunity…
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Old Bedford Village – A Call to Action
The following letter forwarded to the 193rd Rifle Division requesting help and support for the Village: Dear Bob, I’ve just received our date to go before the Bedford County PA review board over these property taxes: Oct 29th at 9am. This is a ‘Call to Quills’ as part of a timed and measured response prior…
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Philadelphia Russian Mosaic Festival 2009
Thanks to Correspondent Mike (Misha) Momot for this article on this recent, fascinating event: Russian Mosaic Festival 2009 September 20th was this year’s date for the annual Russian Mosaic Festival. Part of a series of ethnic culture festivals held at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. The 193rd Rifle Division was once again in attendance to help…
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Historic Preservation Effort – Mercersburg, PA
This just in today. It sounds like a crisis, so I decided to put it here ahead of some other pieces: Karen Ramsburg October 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm We are desperately looking for Civil War re-enactors to do a Living History on Oct. 10 @ 10am at the Steiger House, 120N. Main St. Mercersburg…