Civil War Re-enactment Coming Up!

I love it when I hear about these re-enactment events BEFORE they occur. It seems that I always hear about them in the news after they have happened, and I miss out on all the fun! I’m really hoping to go to this one: the Annual Civil War Weekend in Peterboro, NY.

Peterboro invites everyone to visit and experience what life was like 150 years ago. After visiting the soldier’s camps, enjoy the music, drama, storytelling, and period craft demonstrations. Come for a day, wander through Confederate and Union camps and listen to the stories of the men and women. Watch them drill for the battle. Each afternoon, hear the sound of cannons booming and muskets cracking. The smoke of gun powder will rise as the north and south face off for a very realistic battle reenactment.

There’s a concert on Saturday, too.

This special concert program features the highly acclaimed 77th New York Regimental Balladeers and the Irish Volunteers. It will evoke the memory of those Irishmen who fought in the ranks of the Union and Confederate armies. The 77th is a nationally recognized Civil War string band, and have performed at Gettysburg, the U.S. Grant National Memorial and other historic sites around the country.

Admission is $7 for adults; $3 for ages 6-12, and free for children under 6. Parking is free, too. There’s a separate $5 admission charge for the Saturday 8 p.m. concert at the Community Center. This sounds like a blast! For more information: 315-684-9022.

New York’s Summer Tourism Promotions

New York State’s tourism department is getting better and better. I recently caught wind of the state’s latest promotion for overnight stays (see Low Budget Getaway with Big Budget Views in the Adirondacks at The Beat, an online newsletter of tourism news for New York State. This is a big year for New York– this year marks the 250th anniversary of the French & Indian War (New York was the location of numerous battles and contentions here). Many organizations across the state are expected to be thowing some pretty big events and re-enactments. The I Love NY website has information on it; there’s also a website dedicated to the War’s anniversary, too.

Also coming up this year are a prospective busy fishing tournament for Oswego County, and the Quadricentennial celebrations in Eastern New York. How many states can celebrate a quadricentennial?! It was 400 years ago this year that Henry Hudson made his famous trip up the Hudson River, and the Capital Region of New York is having numerous events and celebrations in honor fo the event: a Quadricentennial festival of the Dutch colonization of the area; the docking of the Half Moon replica (Hudson’s boat upon which he explored wild New York 400 years ago; lectures, history tours, and more. See the Explore NY 400 site for more events.

Of course, coming to New York State means (hopefully) staying overnight in New York State. Tourism is BIG business here, and most attractions and tourist organizations do it up big. New York’s official website has some recommendations; you can also try websites such as Hotels Combined for good pricing and checking availabilities, too. Hotels Combined has a detailed and comprehensive listing of hotels and motels for New York State; check out the huge list of New York cities and towns at the Hotels Combined New York State hotel page. I’ve tried it when checking out various hotels and motels when we have traveled– it’s extremely convenient, because the listing includes location, price, contact information, features, and a small photo of the hotel. I like that.

New York is THE place to be this summer! We are hoping to get out and about soon, to take in a few re-enactments and hopefully have some overnight stays at the more distant areas of the state. Stay tuned!

Re-enactor’s Delight

Re-enactments in Upstate New York are starting to gear up! We are looking forward to seeing some great battles and festivals. The kids absolutely LOVE to dress up, and always appreciate a good show. Besides the annual Fort Stanwix re-enactment and the one at Fort Ticonderoga that we hope to see, there’s the Civil War Living History Weekend this year, and the famous Renaissance Festival in Sterling, NY, coming up. I know I have some re-enactors who visit this blog. I’ve got some news for you: get some great deals on renaissance costumes at the Renaissance Store online. Wait til my kids see this! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a site. It has everything! I love the Renaissance era so this is right up our alley. There are a ton of costumes, accessories, gifts, jewelry, weapons, books, shoes, games, camping and wedding stuff, everything Renaissance and then some! There’s even a big clearance section, and a Renaissance blog with articles you can browse. It’s a great website. Check it out!