DioRandy
Member
Knowing how much modelers love to research their subjects, I went through two sets of camera batteries while taking 250 pics of a little bit of everything at WWI Days. For me, it was like being at Disneyland. I hope you find the posts helpful.
The two-day event, in it's 19th year, featured 1,300 re-enactors, 80 vehicles, 4 battles, 4 skirmishes and dozens of unit encampments sprawled across the museum grounds. Re-enactors represented U.S., German, British, Russian, Italian and Polish units and vehicles. It is now the 2nd largest live history event in the United States.
Lucky for me, it takes place in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois. In fact, our local modeling club used to be a part of the festivities. We were allowed to set up a display in one of the buildings to interact with visitors and encourage participation in the hobby. Rockford is also home to the Testor's Corporation, which has been a major player in the hobby industry for decades. They kindly donated a bunch of beginner model kits to give the kids, which we then showed them how to buil
.
The sponsor, Midway Village and Museum Center, displays a living history of the Rockford area. The buildings that depict a by-gone era, are transformed into a small village in France for the event. This is where they conduct the skirmishes.
The major battles are also fought on the museum grounds. Adjacent to the woods where the re-enactors camp for the weekend, is an open field the size of half-a-dozen football fields. The battle I took the pics of, depicted a Russian recon patrol being spotted by a German infantry unit. The Germans attacked, not knowing the recon patrol was part of a larger force that was close behind. The Russians launched a counter attack, bringing up a couple of land lease vehicles. In response, the Germans countered with armour of their own, but were eventually defeated.
The two-day event, in it's 19th year, featured 1,300 re-enactors, 80 vehicles, 4 battles, 4 skirmishes and dozens of unit encampments sprawled across the museum grounds. Re-enactors represented U.S., German, British, Russian, Italian and Polish units and vehicles. It is now the 2nd largest live history event in the United States.
Lucky for me, it takes place in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois. In fact, our local modeling club used to be a part of the festivities. We were allowed to set up a display in one of the buildings to interact with visitors and encourage participation in the hobby. Rockford is also home to the Testor's Corporation, which has been a major player in the hobby industry for decades. They kindly donated a bunch of beginner model kits to give the kids, which we then showed them how to buil
.
The sponsor, Midway Village and Museum Center, displays a living history of the Rockford area. The buildings that depict a by-gone era, are transformed into a small village in France for the event. This is where they conduct the skirmishes.
The major battles are also fought on the museum grounds. Adjacent to the woods where the re-enactors camp for the weekend, is an open field the size of half-a-dozen football fields. The battle I took the pics of, depicted a Russian recon patrol being spotted by a German infantry unit. The Germans attacked, not knowing the recon patrol was part of a larger force that was close behind. The Russians launched a counter attack, bringing up a couple of land lease vehicles. In response, the Germans countered with armour of their own, but were eventually defeated.
