And the winner is: “Celebrating the little-known Battle of Calico, California, (or Farb Forks) apparently fought over possession of the town’s only all-you-can-eat buffet.” — Ken Noe
Those of you who are into reenacting are either going to get a good laugh out of this or have your day ruined. Each year, Calico Ghost Town plays host to hundreds of Civil War reenactors and their families in a President’s Day weekend experience. The video is from this past Sunday.
There has to be something redeeming about this. 
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Personally my day is now ruined!
Why isn’t there a like button to click?
Laughing while having it ruined.
I don’t think those men were shot, I think they had heart attacks while trying to charge the enemy! (to be fair, I wouldn’t be able to “charge” myself so much as “walk quickly in the direction of the enemy”)
I think one guy choked to death on a chicken bone.
As ’tis said in the “hood,” Y’all ain’t right! lmao!
I’m often tempted to get into the reenacting thing, because it looks like hell’s own fun. But then I realize the hobby doesn’t need any more people who look like this, and the feeling passes. I really do see my non-participation as a positive gift to the reenacting community at large. You’re welcome.
That said, I think there’s a proper role for, um, gentlemen of grand stature. Someone, after all, needs to provide cover for all those lean-and-mean soldiers in the ranks behind. Seriously, who do you think is better qualified to stop a Minie ball, the guy in the video frame above or some scrawny kid?
I usually don’t charge, I die before those long runs.
Wow, that was one big Yankee.
In the same emotion of Corey I am both laughing while also having my day ruined. I will post this video on the reenactor forum I use and see what responses I can get there.
The Zouave jacket is a nice touch. Just as well they didn’t go with the pantaloons and turbans; red is not a slimming color.
I liked the Yankee who on being “killed” made sure his nice red kepi didn’t get dirty.
and the two who were getting comfortable as they slowly died.
But I like reenactments, the bigger the better.
to be fair, the Rebs clearly did not suffer from a lack of supplies either!
The local Chick Fil A had apparently seen some recent foragers. (I prefer foraging at Five Guys myself) .
Are you making fun of Civil War reenactors in general or just overweight reenactors (as most of the comments do)? This is a mean-spirited post and you’ve brought out the meanness of others.
With all due respect, lighten up.
It’s making fun of fat people. Because fat people are funny! And contemptible!
Some of us are a bit large as well. I think it’s more along the lines of ‘these people insist everything be exactly as it was in the war, uniforms, buttons, material, weapons, insignia, everything except for the 50 inch waist.
This is why I do RevWar now. Fewer of us at events to be embarrassed by, some good folks in the hobby who take material culture documentation and scholarship very seriously, and there are no 1/2 scale trains running around to tempt us to play Jesse James. Though I did go for a drunken row late one night in a Loyalist battoe…
Celebrating the little-known Battle of Calico, California, (or Farb Forks) apparently fought over possession of the town’s only all-you-can-eat buffet.
Ahem. I would like to point out the lack of a pets and beverages warning before clicking onto the blog home page. Thank goodness the laptop survived the deluge.
Signed,
Indignant Reader
Then there is the other extreme…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viMevgEXuBc
How about somewhere in the middle:
http://columbusdispatch.tumblr.com/post/4526082797/a-wtf-moment-if-ever-we-saw-one-re-enactors-of
I call it: “Lincoln fired first.”
I listen to Civil War Talk Radio quite often, and about half the authors interviewed got started on the Civil War after attending an event like this as kids.
Yes, but it looks like most of the kids just kept returning to the scene of the crime year after year.
I’ve recently gotten into preenacting. It’s where you dress up in tin foil, then run around pretending to shoot lasers at each other to demonstrate what World War IV will look like.
Kinda hard for anyone to call you a “farby” !!