American Long Rifle Association

The 250th Anniversary of the British Siege of Old Ft. Niagara is over with the British once again capturing the fort. Usually, there are 1,100 reenactors at this event. This year there were 2500! Visitors were coming through at a rate of approximately 5,000 a day.

What made this special was seeing many of my ALRA brothers and sisters and meeting some for the very first time. We shared our camp with Kyne and Crystal Clark of Utah and they just hit it off so well with the entire group. Genuine pleasure to have in camp and we were so glad they took the opportunity to join us. Dudley Toelke of Texas joined us for the second year and is always welcome at our fire.

Being of small numbers, we hooked up with Harmon's Company. This is a premier group of reenactors from New England. While others just carried their cartridge boxes and weapons, Harmon's does their reenactments like they've been on an extended scout. They carry a blanket and provisions into each battle. They also wear coats or sleeved waistcoats which is the correct woods attire for the Northeast. They appeared a little surprised when we donned our coats, blanket and provisions and let them know we found nothing wrong with their level of authenticity.

Overall, it was a great weekend.

Hey, Ellis,

Sounds like you all had a fine time, and I'm glad that Kyne and Crystal got to join you this year. Did Kyne sing anything for you in camp at night? He has a fine voice, and knows some really great period tunes. Great folks, both he and Crystal!

Are you thinking about writing up a detailed AAR for the Gazette, Ellis? I'd love to read it, should be decide to undertake such a venue. Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

Doc Mark wrote:Hey, Ellis,

Sounds like you all had a fine time, and I'm glad that Kyne and Crystal got to join you this year. Did Kyne sing anything for you in camp at night? He has a fine voice, and knows some really great period tunes. Great folks, both he and Crystal!

Are you thinking about writing up a detailed AAR for the Gazette, Ellis? I'd love to read it, should be decide to undertake such a venue. Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

Actually, I don't believe he did sing anything. Of course, I was only there the last night. Had to work 12 hour shifts the other nights, but I did manage to attend during the days. Kyne and Crystal went Native and had fine impressions. I would proudly match them against any of the native reenactors that were there. I provided Kyne with my Brown Bess and even told him that he didn't need to clean it, I would attend to that. It has a choke tube in the bore and sometimes the cleaning patch gets stuck, if you're not expecting it. No need for him to worry about that.

Dudley Toelke, Kyne and I joined up with Harmon's Company, a fine group of living historians from New England. When they take the field, they do it as if they were on a scout or patrol. This means they wear coats or sleeved waistcoats and bring a blanket and provisions. No problem, we bundled up our blanket and haversacks and fit right in.

There were roughly 2,300 reenactors at Niagara and they're still working on an exact count of visitors, but they figure it was in excess of 15,000 for the weekend. The previous record was 7,000.

Morning, Ellis,

Sounds like a really fine event, and packed to the gills, too!! Wish we could have joined in the fun this year, too, as we did last year. But, from the numbers you shared, I'm not sure we would have "fit" inside the fort!!

Kyne and Crystal are great folks, and we've enjoyed camping with them at the Western Gathering, and also up at Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Hopefully, they will once again join us at this year's upcoming Western, in October. Thanks, again, for your report, and as always, God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc Mark

Who do we send event reports to for the Gazette? I know Captain Ty asked about a report of the 250th at Niagara in the last Gazette.

Hey, Ellis,

You can send it to William Brown III, and he will include in an upcoming issue, I'd bet. Give him a shout, if you have any questions, and he can let you know the skinny. Thanks for sending in the report. Well done! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc