Neary-Sighted

Candlelight Tour must have entertained many hundreds last night, judging from the number of people who toured Fort Nisqually in Point Defiance Park. Re-enactors can't actually tell how many people come through, because we are supposed to ignore them and just look at each other as we try to recreate 1859 as closely as possible.

Great good fun, and a great way to teach history to the kids of all ages in an immersive way. Thought I would share a photo taken before the re-enactment began. You see me chatting with, at left, Col. Silas Casey, with Major Alvord looking typically somber to my right. We visitors from Steilacoom chatted with the British all night.

As I mention below, my real-life character is Charles Prosch, who published a Steilacoom newspaper from 1858 to 1863. Being a newspaper publisher at a re-enactment is a breeze, because if we run out of things to talk about I can always talk about how my paper will "boom" Steilacoom and turn it into the next San Francisco. And poor Charles invested a lot back then in that very dream.

I understand a big storm is expected tonight, and I hope that does not cut into attendance. The re-enactors should mostly be fine, as most of us are wearing a lot of authentic and definitely-not-polyester wool.
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