I’ve been to the annual Gettysburg battle re-enactment once in my five years living here and I enjoyed it. Even though I don’t go each year, I still enjoy this time of year. How could I not being a history buff? I can see how many people still appreciate history by the turnout and I do attend many of the other events associated with the re-enactment. I’ll visit encampments, talk to re-enactors and attend demonstrations from Civil War cooking to loading a rifle.
So much of my time is spent researching history that it is nice to get out and take a step back in time to get a feel for how history was lived. It helps me get a sense of things as I write. I learn about the little details that can add richness and authenticity to my writing.
I also find the summer an amusing time to live in Gettysburg. For instance, my son ran into my den the other day and said, “Dad, did you hear that thunder?” I looked out my window at a very sunny, very hot day. My son thought for a moment and said, “Oh, wait, that’s just cannons.” He was more excited at the thought of rain to break out heat spell than he was of soldier firing cannons.
It’s also a time of year when you walk along the streets in downtown Gettysburg and see just as many Union and Confederate soldiers as you do tourists