From Battle Road, the beat goes on.

Over the weekend I got an email from my pal Ed, who is an avid 18th and 19th century reenactor along with this wife, Lynne. The two of them have been involved in both Rev war and Civil War reenacting for many years now and know their stuff when it comes to what is proper and what is not. Well, apparently the stitch counting committee at Battle Road this year thinks they know better than veteran reenactors with close to 20 years experience.

Ed informs me that he and his wife were made to stand in line for an "inspection" by the stitch-nazis at the beginning of the training session. They actually informed him that his handmade coat needed a running stitch along the collar and that Lynne's pinafore wasn't correct. Lynne was then asked if she would like to attend one of "their" sewing classes. This wrinkled their noses as much as it did mine. Oh, and their young nephew was told he needed to have a coat instead of a farmers shirt as all male participants MUST wear a coat this year. So as Ed suggested, someone better cover up the Minuteman stature at MMNHS otherwise he might get removed as well.

I'm all for authenticity, but this goes way beyond anything that is acceptable. It's pettiness for the sake of being petty. What really frosts me however is that a few individuals think they have the right to interpret history as they see fit, irregardless of whether or not it's accurate.

As it turns out, Ed and Lynne are doing exactly what I intend on doing at Battle Road......attending as "period" members of the public therefore bypassing the bullshit that the registered reenactors must put up with. A sad state of affairs to be sure.......