Thursday, October 21, 1999
NCH turns clock back to Civil War
BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NORTH COLLEGE HILL — About 300 re-enactors are expected here this weekend to do mock battle during the seventh annual Civil War Re-enactment.
From 2,500 to 3,000 people are expected to attend the two-day event, which opens at 9 a.m. Saturday behind the Clovernook Center on Hamilton Avenue.
Events are planned throughout Saturday and Sunday, including mock battles, weapons inspections, medical demonstrations, children's games, a pumpkin painting contest, magic show and croquet game.
Re-enactors arrive from Indiana, Kentucky and Tennes see — with one person traveling from England, said Harold Kraus of the North College Hill Civil War Re-enactment Association Inc., which stages the event each year.
“It's a living history-type event,” said Mr. Kraus. “They'll even wear woollen clothes, which won't be too bad this weekend because it's going to be cool. They'll build their campfires and put their tents up.”
The idea for holding it in North College Hill came several years ago when Jan Gardiner, one of the organizers who lives in North College Hill, was engaged in casual conversation with Mayor Daniel Brooks about the Civil War.
“I said, "You know what we
need to do is have a Civil War re-enactment in our city,'” Mr. Gardiner recalled. “He said, "That's a great idea.' That's how it got started.”
Thousands of people enjoy re-enacting wars — from the Revolutionary War up to World War II, said Mr. Gardiner. He said his own group, the 9th Kentucky, a Confederate unit, will do 12 to 14 re-enactments a year.
The 300 re-enactors expected here this weekend — made up of 220 military re-enactors and 80 civilians — is about standard for the North College Hill event.
But last year, said Mr. Gardiner, 23,000 re-enactors showed up in Gettysburg for a military re-enactment at that famous Civil War battlefield. He has spoken with one re-enactor who travels around the country and does about 30 re-enactments a year.
“For some people, it's just leisure; they get to get out and camp,” said Mr. Gardiner. “They like to camp. For a lot of us, we're trying to portray an actual history. We try to portray history and the life of the people back at the time of the Civil War. A lot of people I know who do this had relatives involved in the Civil War. Other people simply enjoy history and they've fixated on that particular period in history.”
The camp and event will close at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Battle re-enactments will be held both days. Admission is free, but donations are welcome, say organizers.
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