How I Got Into Reenacting

I mainly got into reenacting through my interest in history.

Ever since I was a little kid in school I had always favored social studies and history over other subjects. Along the way I began watching videos and learning more about historical topics, mainly about the American Frontier and Victorian era on my own time outside of school. I loved watching Westerns and movies about the American Civil War as well as learning more about the era that they took place in. As I got older, I didn't just want to learn about history, I wanted to live through it and experience a glimpse of what it was like for the men and women of the era to live through the times that they did. It eventually led me to want to try my hand at reenacting. I hoped that I would be able to find a group of like-minded folks that had a passion for history and wanted to preserve it, and to show others how important it is to remember these people and events.

The ACWC was the group that I was looking for. When I attended my first reenactment at Old Tucson I was blown away (not literally!) and had gone to the Federal camp to look around and ask questions.

At first, I was a bit nervous but everyone was so welcoming and friendly and it eventually ended up with me in a uniform, with a rifle, and the privilege to participate in such a cool hobby! I'm so glad to be a part of such an amazing group of people and I hope to be able to participate even further in the future.

Author: Carlos Garcia