'Remembering WWII' Reenactment

What a wonderful time we had at the Remembering WWII event! The whole day was great.

Here we are first thing in the morning, all dressed up in our 40's duds. My three oldest siblings got to be here for the event as they were visiting during that time - so it was double fun!

Jordan's grandfather was on a submarine in the Pacific during the war, so even though this isn't his actual uniform, he put the correct insignia on it like his grandfather had. I thought he looked very dashing!

It was really neat to see him all dressed up in uniform, as we have wartime picture of his grandfather in dress blues, and they look so much alike!

I wore my favorite old green rayon dress I made for our 40s dance, back in 2011.

Even went all out and ordered some back-seamed nylons. (these are from Nordstrom) while I don't think they are exactly period correct, they were better than the usual.

 

Aspen looked stunning with an up-do and polka dots.

 

The battles were quite impressive. They both started with the Germans occupying the town, then the Americans and British taking over. All the military vehicles were very impressive! The battles ended with a couple of American soldiers cutting down the huge German flag hanging up on the courthouse and replacing it with the stars and stripes!

Marian's little dress I made from a 1944 pattern. It has little rounded shoulder yokes, puffed sleeves, and decorative tucks in the back. It turned out really cute, and I think it was pretty comfortable for her. Sadly we forgot her white bonnet at home that day.

 The whole town really looked like it had stepped back into the 1940s! The streets were full of military vehicles, vintage cars, soldiers, boys selling war-time newspapers, and ladies with their prettiest hats.

There was a recruiting station, a 'canteen' that had delicious root beer floats, a stage where we got to hear several veterans speak, and lots of period songs. There was even a live big band during lunch time! What a treat! The military camps were a lot of fun to see too, and very educational.

 

I just *had* to see what a big smooch would do to Jordan's cheek when I had red lipstick on. teehee.

 I made him wear it for a while before I wiped it off.

Marian tried hard to be such a good girl all day - 

she wore herself out though and fell asleep on Dad's arm.

The German motorcycles became quite popular with the girls.

I guess I had to wipe lipstick off Jordan several times that day...rather unhandy. lol.

 Glad I don't have to mess with that all the time. :)

That night was a USO themed evening party. It was great! We got to hear the Boyer Sisters sing, which was amazing. They have a great sound!! Visiting and watching the show was a great way to wind down the day.

I sure hope this event turns into an annual thing!

Jane Austen Convention - Part 4

Our last full day at the Jane Austen convention! We were busy busy, as you can tell from the above picture!

In the morning, we decided to model some of our items for a while - Rebecca is sporting a darling brown linen apron, a la Molly Gibson, and below I am wearing a printed half-robe.

About 3 in the afternoon we had a very long lull - and complete silence, as all of the attendees were in the grand ballroom to hear a talk given by the famous screenwriter, Andrew Davies!

After that was over, the most exciting thing of the entire weekend happened! The BBC film crew came into our room, and got set up for filming the tea booth! Rebecca and I were so excited to see the cameras 'in action'! Then, while that was going on, one of the crew members came over to our table and asked 'did we mind if they came over and did a bit of filming at our booth afterward'?

 Of course we didn't mind at all! We couldn't believe it! We were booth in such a state - kicking each other under the table we were so excited, and frantically tidying up our booth!

Basically the lady just interviewed us a bit and asked questions about what we were selling, and the different types of dresses.

It felt so strange to be surrounded by cameras and British-speaking people! Too much fun!

At the end of the interview, the lady even bought one of our children's dresses for her little girl!

Apparently the filming at the convention may be part of a Jane Austen documentary airing on BBC in December. I doubt our bit of filming will make the final cut - but it was great just getting the experience! Something we will certainly never forget!

The last day, as we were packing up we got a glimpse of Mrs. and Mrs. Edward Ferrars, Colonel Brandon and Marrianne as they were making their way to the Grand Ballroom for the long-anticipated wedding!

We thought it made a fitting end to a lovely week, full of memories!