Mount Prospect to host Revolutionary War re-enactment

When Huntley resident Shelby Hauck was growing up, he spent his summer vacations traveling back in time. He traveled across the country with his mother and grandmother, who sold 18th century women’s clothing at historical re-enactments, where people of all ages would dress in period clothing, wage mock battles and spend their weekends living like they were from another era.

“I would play with the kids,” Hauck said. “It’s like camping with a twist. We’d set up our tents and gather around the campfire and play soldier.”

Hauck was 6 months old when he went to his first re-enactment event and said he built up an extended family within the community. Now 26, he still loves to participate in Revolutionary War re-enactments and will be one of about 200 people bringing history to life May 14 and 15 at Colony & Crown: A Revolutionary Experience at Lions Memorial Park in Mount Prospect.

“It’s a hobby that I couldn’t live without,” Hauck said. “I met my wife re-enacting and now we’re raising a baby doing it.”

The event’s organizers hope to draw thousands of guests to watch mock battles, live music, period fashion shows, artillery demonstrations and more. Vendors will sell food and period items including belts, shoes, coats and hats.

Warrenville resident Mark Wedow, 58, has been doing Revolutionary War re-enactments for 18 years. He started going with his young children and said while his daughter no longer participates, it was an excellent educational experience for her.

“She got a tremendous amount out of it,” Wedow said. “She could have taught her classes on that era because of all the extra education she got on her own.”

Young re-enactors dress in period costume and learn what life was like for a kid during the 1700s. They play period games with sticks and hoops and girls often learn how to sew.

Kids visiting Colony & Crown can also get in on the fun.

“Some of the kids games are hands on and they can sit and watch the battles,” Wedow said. “Some of the camps are open and you can sit down and talk to the people and become part of a scenario if they happen to be having a conversation about George Washington or Martha Washington or what’s going on in the war.”

Hauck portrays a sergeant in the Continental Army and his wife alternates between dressing as a camp follower or a soldier’s wife staying at home. He said re-enactments offer families an unbeatable educational opportunity.

“I think the biggest reason to bring your kids is you learn so much there compared to today’s history books,” Hauck said. “You’re going to meet people who’ve spent years of their life digging into part of the American Revolution. Everyone there loves it to the point that they study everything.”

Wedow and Hauck both stressed that the re-enactments bring the history to life, showing visitors how people might have looked wearing the clothing and how they would actually start fires, work and fight.

“You get to touch it and smell it and hear it rather than just read it and imagine it,” Hauck said.

Colony & Crown: A Revolutionary Experience

<B>Where: </B>Lions Memorial Park, 411 Maple St., Mount Prospect

<B>Cost: </B>$10; $5 for ages 3-12; under age 3 free

<B>Hours: </B>9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 14 and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15

Sponsored by: Mount Prospect Park District, Mount Prospect Historical Society and Northwest Territory Alliance

<B>Call: </B>(847) 632-9333

<B>Web:</B> <a href="http://www.mtphist.org/">mtphist.org

Five things kids can learn by attending:

Ÿ How kids entertained themselves in a time long before television

Ÿ Facts about historical figures like George and Martha Washington

Ÿ How 18th century people dressed and how they made their clothing.

Ÿ What life was like for a Revolutionary War soldier and his family

Ÿ How Revolutionary War battles were fought</a><B></B>