One glance at reenactor Eric Ford’s blue woolen sleeve sent 7-year-old Eli Stevenson of Orwigsburg running back home to slip on his Civil War uniform costume. Clutching his toy rifle, he dashed back to Town Square with his dad, Jeremy Stevenson, to meet back up with Ford, 50, and Pete Zinkus, 60, reenactors with the 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Company C.
Town Square in Orwigsburg was a temporary encampment for Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactors on Saturday during the borough’s 31st Annual Heritage Day.
Sponsored by the Orwigsburg Area Business & Professional Association, the event honors the past and embraces the future of the town founded by members of the Orwig family in 1796.
Heritage Day 2023 featured more than 60 vendors, a bounce house, Irish dancing, music, firetrucks, wine tasting, a dunk tank and food. The pleasant weather and lively atmosphere were unmatched since before the pandemic, said vendors.
Zinkus has been a Civil War reenactor for 12 years but says it’s difficult for him to imagine what soldiers went through back then.
“A Union private’s pay was $13 a month,” the Schuylkill Haven resident said. “They joined the war to see the world, and they got a rude awakening.”
Not only did Civil War infantrymen carry 40- to 60-pound packs on their backs, they slept on the ground in all kinds of weather and walked everywhere. Drill, eat, sleep — and write letters home. That was the life of a soldier 160 years ago, Ford said.
Every detail fascinated Eli, a second-grader at Blue Mountain Elementary School East, who proudly posed with the men for a photo.
Connecting with people — especially the young — is the main reason Ford of Reamstown has been a reenactor for 20 years.
“I take away something new from every event,” he said.
Zinkus agreed, saying, “I get the satisfaction of educating people.”
Meanwhile at 109 E. Mifflin St., the Orwigsburg Historical Society & Museum offered a roster of events. Visitors could glimpse the jail, built in 1891; see original land deeds from the early 1800s signed by town founder Peter Orwig and peruse artifacts from Native Americans who lived in southern Schuylkill County.
At noon, actor and playwright Bob Hughes presented the play “First in Flight,” about aviation pioneers the Wright Brothers.
Transportation was a theme of the day, as riders from The Victorian Highwheelers of Tamaqua delighted people with their high riding.
Dan Horengic, 65, has been riding a “bone-shaker” since 2007. He saw one at a Victorian event and had to have one.
What’s the appeal? Well, it was the first machine in which man could go over land on his own power, replacing the horse.
Don Shoup, 81, has been riding a high-wheeler since 1970. He said there’s nothing finer, even when riding with two replaced knees.
On this day, Horengic was walking alongside a 1883 model high-wheeler with a 56-inch front wheel.
The first time he hopped on a high-wheeler, he pedaled as if he’d been riding high all his life. And he’s never fallen. All it takes, he said, is a good sense of balance and a minimum 33-inch inseam.
For Darlene Straub, the inseam rule is no problem, since she stands at 6 feet. She’s been riding for about 15 years.
As the clock on the square reached high noon, the first of several reenactors’ musket shots rang out, startling people and putting pets on high alert.
Listening to the Handsome John Pruitt Band finish its set, Bill Knecht of OABPA said he was very pleased with the festival, noting the increased number and quality of the vendors.
Source: Berkshire mont