CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT

Pierce College

     
             THE PAST AND PRESENT MERGE...
 

My fellow reenactors,

 Wow! Is this event gathering steam! I would now classify it as being a "mega-event."

 I am in my 21st season as a reenactor. I have never seen such a public relations and media campaign like the one being mounted in connection with our reenactment at Pierce College on June 12-13.

Clearly, all of the stops have been pulled out!

The first large ad ran in last Sunday's Daily News. Ads will continue there, as well as in the LA Times. The neighborhood papers in the various communities in the west end of the San Fernando Valley can be expected to give first rate coverage to our event, as they always support Pierce College. In addition, a serious effort will be made to garner radio and TV coverage. And then there are those 8' X 8' billboards along Victory Boulevard and DeSoto Avenue. Tens of thousands of posters have been printed, and the Pierce College newspaper is already running feature stories and ads for the event.

 I could go on and one, but I will simply say that this media blitz is in a category all its own. This will not be a "club meeting event."  I am already hearing reports from reenactors (as well as even from a co-worker) who have seen the billboards and heard the buzz that this event has already created in the San Fernando Valley.

 IT     WILL     BE     BIG!

 Check out the great posters being used to promote the event. The photo of the battlefield above taken when Bill and Carol Wenda visited the site shows how it appeared last weekend. The crops will, of course, be gone by the time our event begins.

 Now to important information about attending. You must register at the Pierce Farm Center at the corner of DeSoto and Victory Boulevard. Once you register, you will be given directions about where to park. Please then proceed directly to your camp, quickly unload your gear, and then go park your vehicle. Set up your camp after you park. We need to keep things moving.

 There is one minor glitch that I am almost embarrassed to mention. As you realize, we are on college property. As a result, we run into certain statutes that were written to cover broad categories of activity in an educational setting. The concept of applying them to Civil War reenactments never once crossed the minds of the drafters when the laws were written. (Things like this, when they work in your favor are called loopholes.) One issue that no one foresaw when drafting the applicable law and which affects us now is that you will not be permitted to carry a knife at the event. (Remember, even at Fort Tejon, you can't draw one on the field.) Since I am not going to hold my breath and hope that the legislature will hastily convene and pass an exemption for Civil War reenactments, all I can say is do not carry a knife. Knives used in camp as cooking cutlery are perfectly fine, however, since there is an exemption in the law for this. Giving up the right to carry a knife is a small price to pay for participation in this event.

 Each campfire must be above ground, and there must be a fire extinguisher nearby for it. This is hardly a novel requirement, so please make sure that you are in compliance.

 Below is my message from a couple of weeks ago. Notice that I have modified the directions for those coming from Santa Clarita and further north. I forgot to add the shortcut to the 118 by using the 405.

 If any of you wish to have a demonstration/presentation listed on the schedule, please let me know.

An effort will be made to get a morning TV news show to do a remote broadcast at the event on Friday, June 11. If you are available, please let me know. You will be permitted to arrive on Thursday if the broadcast is confirmed.

New events on this scale do not come along very often.The last great addition to the schedule was the Long Beach two years ago. I am convinced that this event at Pierce College will be a wonderful addition to the show battle reenactment schedule. I certainly hope that you have made plans to be part of this exciting effort at such a strategically placed venue, one that will have a huge impact on the health of the hobby all of us hold so dear.

On behalf of the Foundation for Pierce College, I invite you all to Woodland Hills on June 12-13!

Ed

From: Howitzers1@aol.com
To: Howitzers1@aol.com
Sent: 5/12/2010 8:16:53 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: Pierce College Reenactment--June 12-13

 My fellow reenactors,

 We are a month away from the most exciting reenacting opportunity to come down the pike in quite sometime--Heritage Days at Pierce College on June 12-13.

 There is an old saying in real estate, one that says that "the three most important things that affect the value of real estate are location, location, location."

 In a similar vein, I believe that "the three most important things that affect the growth of our hobby are access, access, access (to the public)." Well, this event at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, the west end of the San Fernando Valley, offers amazing access to the public. To state the obvious, the potential is enormous

 As I said in my first message a few weeks ago, I have been told that approximately 130,000 vehicles pass through the intersection of DeSoto and Victory Boulevard each day. Two attractive, high visibility 8' X 8' signs have been placed on DeSoto Avenue and two have been placed on Victory Boulevard for the last two weeks. (Scroll down to the bottom to see the photo of one of them.) The number of vehicles passing these prominent, eye-catching signs over the course of the next month boggles the imagination.

 Do the math, 45 days times 130,000 vehicles equals almost 6 million vehicles. (Obviously, of course, not 6 million different vehicles but, nevertheless, this is amazing billboard exposure for a Civil War reenactment.) And this is only vehicles, not the total number of passengers.

Add the effects from the billboards to the serious effort to disseminate information to the student body of Pierce College and its far flung organizations and contacts, and I think you will quickly understand what the potential is here.

 In addition, a media campaign second to none is in progress. Online ticketing is already available. Check out the web site, www.piercefarmcenter.com.  As a special offer to reenactors, pass on to your friends that if they type in "1861" in the promo code, your friends can get a 25% discount on tickets. Hurry, however, because there is a limit on the number of tickets that will be sold under this promo code. The discount ends June 1. The coupon that is attached in the next message will get anyone a 20% discount with a different promo code, and I don’t think that the June 1 deadline applies to this coupon.

 I am also attaching  a low resolution and a high resolution poster for the event in the next message.  If you would like to drop by the Farm Center and pick up posters for distribution, you are invited to do so.

  Note that you must be unloaded and your vehicle must be out of camp by 9:30.

 Horsemen, this is "good ground." Unlike most venues in Southern California, I think that you can consider it to be basically "gopher free."

 One thing that I should mention is that because there are no trees, you will want to bring your tent flys. You may arrive after 12:00 on Friday.

 Sutlers may arrive after 12:00 on Thursday. Sutlers, even if you have already contacted me, please confirm your attendance so that you can be allocated proper space.

 There will be the usual dance on Saturday night. Ginger Alberti will be the dance caller. As usual, hay, straw and firewood will be provided. The reenactor registration fee is $5.00.

 Minors who will not have a parent present, please visit www.hartsengineers.com and download the release that will be available there by the first of next week. Have your parent sign it before you leave home.

Civilians, contact Jennifer Christy at reenactinghistory@yahoo.com concerning your space requirements.

 Below is a message from Union commander, Scott Harrington.

 Now, to get there:

 DIRECTIONS FROM DOWNTOWN LA: Take the 101 Freeway to the DeSoto Avenue off-ramp. Turn right (north) and go to Victory Boulevard. Turn right and follow the signs to the reenactor entrance.

 FROM SANTA CLARITA: From I-5, take the 405 to the 118 Freeway (west) to the DeSoto Avenue off-ramp. Turn south and continue to Victory Boulevard. Turn left and follow the signs to the reenactor entrance. 

I hope that you are making plans to attend this grand event in June, one that will become another major event on the Southern California reenactment schedule!

 Ed Mann

 P.S. The reenactors at Vista were undercounted. It looks as if we had about 325, so I guess that it really did turnout to be "the Big One in the Spring."

 Message from Col. Scott Harrington, Commander of the Union Army of the West:

The upcoming Pierce College Civil War event is on the horizon and so time to get ready! A new location to put on the calendar – June 12 – 13, 2010, this is a chance to fill in a scheduling gap with an event with great potential.

Centrally located Northwest of the Los Angeles area (Woodland Hills), Pierce College is an energetic partner in making this a good event, already sending out first class flyers to drum up the spectators. With more than adequate space and facilities for the Cavalry contingent to be at full strength, the broad battlefield should allow some great drill and combat maneuvers. With our canvas camps and portable fences, we will transform this into an excellent event for reenactors and spectators.

Early recon has reported large fields, excellent facilities and plenty of parking. The only concern is lack of shade so bring the flys!

Returns show attendance should be high, so show up and have a good time.

As always, I look forward to working with Union, Confederate, and Civilian Impressions to make this an enjoyable event. So – be safe, be authentic, and have fun.

Scott Harrington