Town
of
After
a significant - almost dramatic - increase in attendance at the second year of
the event, town officials appear ready to make it an annual affair. Town Supervisor Dan Fischer, who is the Town
Board's liaison to the park committee and parks department, said he was pleased
with the increase in attendance and "would be interested in having it
again next year"
Only a
handful of people attended last year's event, according to town officials.
More
intense promotion of the event - particularly at the Pauline Haas Library ice
cream social earlier in the month - helped increase attendance this year
according to Park Chairwoman
Kumitsch
said there were more people at the event during Saturday morning this year than
attended on Saturday and Sunday last year. She described this year's Sunday attendance as
steady.
However,
it was still a relatively small crowd the size of which "shocked"
Dody Schmitt of Hartland who said "it is sad more people are not
here." Schmitt, somewhat of a
history buff herself, convinced her daughter Sheila Farafjord and her husband
Brent to bring their twin boys Erik and Phillip, 7, and 5-year-old daughter,
Anna, to the event. "The kids like
all of the stuff," the grandmother observed as the family visited
Schubert's camp where he displayed animal pelts caught by the fur traders and
some of the equipment and weapons they used.
The
re-enactors spent the weekend in their encampments on the north side of the
park near the Bug Line Recreational Trial providing visitors with
demonstrations and information about the time period they were re-enacting.
Richard
Saulpaugh of Greendale was dressed in the amour of a Roman legionnaire while he
discussed various combat strategies and techniques with John and Joan Daily and
daughters Imogene, 9, and Monica, 16, of the Town of
"One
of the nice things about being behind a Roman shield was there were always six
other guys behind you," he told the Dailys. “It is a lot of fun. The people who
come here are very interested. When you give kids information, you can see the
wonderment in their eyes," Saulpaugh said.
Chris
Kuenn of Sussex was shooting photos of his daughter Beatrice, 12, in front of
another Roman legion camp while son Gabe, 14 watched. "I had no idea they were going to have a
Roman legion's camp here. Gabe has a
fascination about World War II," Kuenn said.
Gabe's
fascination about World War II is unusual, according to Bob Starr of
"Most
young adults know very little about World War I, World War II and
The
Sussex Piggly Wiggly donated the "rations" of beef, pork and vegetables
that the re-enactors cooked over open fires while they spent Friday and
Saturday night in their encampment in the park.