Both Gettysburg Event Sponsors Will Give Campers Additional Days On Site
By Julio C. Zangroniz

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — For the first time, promoters of two different events have coordinated in order to help participants control the cost of their hobby.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of participants traveling to Gettysburg later this month for the first of two consecutive 145th anniversary weekend events, will be able to camp onsite for free, for as long as three days after the end of the first event.

Then campers can simply move their gear to the site of the second event, scheduled for the first weekend in July, again, free of charge.

"At High Tide," sponsored by the Western Maryland Heritage Foundation (WMHF), is scheduled for June 27-29 at the Shields Farm, at 865 Pumping Station Rd., just south of Gettysburg National Military Park. The second event, organized by the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee (GAC), will take place July 4-6, at the Redding Farm on Table Rock Road, north of the park.

Two event hosts, working independently, agreed to make it as easy and inexpensive for participants who wish to attend both events.

Chris Anders, president of the WMHF, said participants are welcome to stay until Wednesday, July 2. George Lomas of the GAC said reenactors would be allowed to set camp starting that same day, thus making it feasible for reenactors to bypass campgrounds and more expensive commercial lodging in the area.

One reenactor said he had been asked to pay $162 for just one night at a local motel.

Anders said he came up with the idea of allowing campers to stay onsite for free "to help keep the cost down for an already expensive hobby."

The cost to his organization will be "a couple of hundred dollars in insurance costs, and another couple of hundred for portajohns and water."

He estimated that about "200 or less" reenactors might end up taking advantage of the offer out of the 1,700 participants his event had pre-registered as of May 1. The event is capping maximum attendance at 4,000.

The folks at GAC, meantime, had "12,000 reenactors registered, 453 horses and 100 cannons" for their extravaganza, according to Lomas. Registration will open at 7 a.m. Wednesday and remain open through the weekend. He said "quite a few reenactors have expressed interest" in coming to the site early.

Dulcie White, husband Kevin and their four children, ages 6 to 12, from Lock Haven, Pa., about 160 miles from Gettysburg, jumped at the chance to turn two consecutive events into a longer family vacation.

She said they looked forward to taking advantage of being in the area to do some sightseeing and relaxing. "We are always looking for ways to cut back on expenses, just so we can afford to go,” she said. “Not having to worry about a hotel expense is big.”

In terms of gasoline savings alone, being able to attend two events while incurring only one travel fuel bill can be significant for most reenactors.

That is exactly the case for people like R.J. Samp, who expects to drive to Gettysburg almost 670 miles one way, from Wheaton, Ill., or, as he put it, "Eleven hours, plus one for the time zone change."

The computer software developer is widely renowned for his bugling talents. He expects to serve with the Federals at both events and believes many military commands will be conveyed by the bugle, just as it was done 145 years ago.

Samp, a reenactor since 1997, said he plans to "tramp Gettysburg" in between the two events.

The ranks of sutlers will similarly be affected. Well-known period collodion artist Bob Szabo will be in Gettysburg with a fully-functioning field studio. The veteran of 10 years of service to the reenacting community will drive from his home in Kansas City, Mo.

He estimated that the round trip of close to 2,400 miles will end up costing him between $300 and $400 in gasoline alone.

"I plan to stay at each event as long as possible, and that should save me some money in hotel bills, as well as in gasoline," Szabo said.

At least one delegation of some 20 reenactors with the Southern Skirmishers Association (SOSKAN) of Great Britain must fly in and rent motor vehicles to get from New York City to Gettysburg and back.

Susan Hindle, a resident of Newton Abott, Devonshire, England, said the cheapest round trip air fare she was able to find was $800, with "another $300 for a car hire." Thus, it becomes truly important to save on what she estimated will be around $100 a day in commercial lodging.

As in previous years, many in this group are renting a huge recreational vehicle that sleeps at least six and will be easily identifiable by the huge Union Jack it flies. Somewhat ironically, they portray Confederates.

At home, Hindle galvanizes at times, but in Gettysburg she will serve with a Louisiana regiment. She has been reenacting the American Civil War since 1989 and has traveled to events in the U.S. 22 times since 1997. She said that friends will be lending her a lot of the basic gear for the two Gettysburg programs, including a small period tent, so she won't have to cart a lot of extra luggage back and forth over the Atlantic Ocean.

For more information about "At High Tide," log onto www.wmh.org and click on the event icon. GAC's site at www.gettysburgreenactment.com has details about registration, program details and tickets regarding the GAC program.