More info on Ft. Point, including:
If you're a minor, make sure you print out the minor permission form, get your parents to sign it, and bring it with you.
Danielle le Roux is driving from Sacramento, if anyone would like to carpool.
Looks like this storm will pass by Saturday. Here's a forecast: http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:94101.1.99999#forecast
It's not too late to rsvp. I hope to see you all there!
--J.I. Koplowicz, Captain
I also wish to throw my hat in the round and to run for 2nd Cpl. I served as 1st Cpl in Co A and acting Cpl for Co B at Roaring Camp last year. I have seven consecutive years experience as a union soldier, as well as experience in weapons safety and maintenance. My passion for the American Civil War started at Roaring Camp when I was but a wee lad. I believe that a strong company if founded upon strong organization, training, and aggressive recruiting. I also believe that fun reenacting is found in the creative and details.
I humbly submit myself to the company as candidate for 2nd Cpl if you should allow me the honor.
J.M. Zollo, 69th NYSV
As you know the Fort Point overnighter is coming up this weekend. I am attaching a document that should answer most of your questions regarding what will happen at the Fort. Please let us know if you have any more questions. Thanks.
Fort Point Overnighter Logistics (for reenactors)
document last updated: Aug 5th 2011
Questions about the event:
Table of Contents:
- General Event Info
- Meals
- Parking
- Storage of Gear and Changing Rooms
- Bathrooms
- Evening Activities
- Sleeping Arrangements
- Rules
- What should I bring with me?
General Event Info
Please read this document in its entirety. It answers a lot of questions about the upcoming overnighter. If you have any questions, please contact Matt, Jordan, or Mike. More information regarding daytime activities can be found at
www.20thmaine.net.
Please spread the word to social clubs, friends and families about the daytime event! Please tell them to carpool because parking is limited. We have a flyer on the 20th Maine website.
Meals
If you RSVP’d for the overnighter, we have automatically added your name to the list for the battalion mess. The command staff would like to encourage everyone to take part in these meals.
Here is the tentative menu (subject to change):
- Saturday night menu: pizza, salad, drinks (water, lemonade, soft drinks, cocoa)
- Sunday morning menu: oatmeal, fruit, bread, coffee, lemonade
People with restricted diets may want to bring their own meal as it will be hard to accommodate special needs. If you will NOT participate in the meal, contact Matt.
Approximately $7-$10 donation per person (total - to cover the costs of BOTH meals over the weekend) is greatly appreciated. Please bring a $5 and five $1 bills as we do not know the exact cost yet to offset the overhead.
Bring your own mess kit and bowl! See below for more info.
There is no running water at the fort. The back of the bathrooms have outside water spickets. We suggest you bring your own backup drinking water supply just in case.
Reenactors are expected to provide their own meals for Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch. Your lunches should be of the “non-cooking” variety and should store well. Food should be stored in a rat proof container such as an ice chest (try to coordinate within your unit to minimize unnecessary storage in the storage room or mess area). There will be no ice or refrigeration provided by the fort. Alternatively, you can purchase a sandwich at the Warming Hut near the Crissy Field parking lot.
All meals should be eaten in the mess area on the first floor, behind the east spiral staircase, with the picnic tables.
Parking
Please try to carpool as parking is extremely limited. Since there are few parking spaces in front of the fort, we need to keep these spaces available to the public.
The fort will open to reenactors at 8am. Reenactors that have demos and a lot of gear should plan to arrive between 8 and 9am to drop off gear at the fort. After unloading, reenactors must move their cars to the far lot between Crissy Field and the Warming Hut. A backup option is the East Battery gravel parking lot up the hill from the fort. Reenactors should be ready for formation at 9:30am and the flag raising at 10am when the fort opens to the public.
We may have someone volunteer to be a shuttle to bring reenactors from the far lot back to the fort. If not, please plan on walking the distance or working with fellow reenactors.
After 5pm, when the Fort closes to the public, reenactors should bring their cars back up to the fort. Reenactors will then need to move their cars back out to the Crissy field lot Sunday morning between 7-9am in addition to “de-farbing” the fort.
Reenactors will need to place a special overnight parking permit on their windshield. These will be passed out at Fort Point. If your car is parked at the fort, it will be locked in for the evening. "Ins" and "outs" will not be allowed unless it is an emergency. The Crissy Field lot is not locked on the “Mason Street” side, which is at the opposite end of the Warming Hut.
Do NOT leave valuables in your car. We have had some break-ins during the day. There is no guarantee that cars parked at the Fort, Crissy Field, or Presidio lots are secured. I would not leave belongings in clear view of anyone that might walk past your car.
Storage of Gear and Changing Rooms
Non-period items, including those that will be used for sleeping and food storage will be stored in a locked room. It is room #8 on the 3rd floor near the black metal staircase.
Storage space is limited, so bring only what you need for the overnighter.
There is a locked “mini” room that reenactors can use for changing. It is the back half of room #7 on the 3rd floor near the black metal staircase.
Bathrooms
The only bathrooms are located outside the fort, about 50 yards away. They are public and have running water. The guard mount will let reenactors outside the fort to use bathrooms at night. There are no shower facilities or porta-potties.
Evening Activities
After the Saturday meal, we hope to host a naval miniature game and dance if there is enough interest. Bring instruments if you have them!
Do what the soldiers did! Play cards, gamble, sing, write letters, play checkers, tell stories.
Lights out in the barracks will be 10pm. We will try to keep the lights in the stairwells on for safety.
All quiet in the fort will be midnight. Everyone except coordinators, command staff, and those on guard mount should be in the barracks.
Candles are not allowed, you will need to bring battery powered candles.
Sleeping Arrangements
The overnighter will occur only on Saturday night.
The vast majority of the reenactors will be sleeping on the wooden floors in the barracks on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The sleeping rooms have demonstrations that are open to the public during the day and should not be disturbed. A couple of rooms have beds, but it is up to the occupants to determine who sleeps there.
Most people will need a sleeping pad, modern cot, hay tick, or sleeping bag. If you go “hardcore” you should at a minimum bring a gum blanket and 2 wool blankets. The floors are hard, cold, dirty and dusty.
Tents are NOT needed, unless you plan to use them as a ground cloth.
Reenactors will be sleeping by company in each room, kind of like a big slumber party. We will do everything we can to accommodate special requests (women only room, hardcore area, family room, etc). Room assignments will be given out during the event.
We will NOT be sleeping in the guard room, powder magazine, or museum area.
For those that value privacy, we suggest finding a local motel. There are many located nearby on Lombard Street just east of the Presidio (some are listed on
www.20thmaine.net).
Food is not allowed in the barracks area. Work crews at the fort have mistakenly left food out and this has led to a rat problem in recent months. The ranger reported the rat problem is now under control, but we need to prevent any recurrences.
About 4 rooms have heaters. Additional electric heaters can be brought, but there is the possibility that the power supply will be overloaded. Any flames in the barracks (including the fireplaces) are PROHIBITED.
Kerosene lanterns and candles are NOT allowed. We strongly suggest bringing a modern flashlight for emergencies. For safety, the lights in the stairwells will remain on during the night.
There are 2 fire extinguishers each on the 2nd and 3rd floors in the barracks.
Company commanders will be responsible for the location of their men at all times. It is strongly advised that the troops not explore the fort at night.
Do NOT lock the doors to any rooms.
Straw will NOT be provided.
Rules
- No powder or caps
- Union or Civilian impressions only
- No sutlers (per NPS rules, sorry!)
- Wood or charcoal burning fires are NOT allowed inside the fort (we will use propane to cook)
- No alcohol (this fort is operated by the NPS)
- No smoking inside the fort (even the courtyard)
- No kerosene lanterns or candles at all (see below for info on battery operated flameless candles)
- Bayonets should only be fixed for approved scenarios
- The fireplaces in the barracks can NOT be used
- With the exception of going to the bathroom and emergencies, the fort will be locked at night and there will be no “ins and outs”. Reenactors that are NOT staying the night should plan to leave by 5:30pm. After that, cars parked at the fort may be locked in.
- Food is not allowed in the barracks or any room (the only exception is the ladies’ tea party)
- This is not an official ACWA event. Reenactors that participate at this event are “volunteers of the NPS”. All reenactors must sign the volunteer agreement / waiver if they have not done so recently.
- Minors (under 18, not just cadets) must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and the parent must sign the volunteer agreement / waiver and a temporary guardian form.
What should I bring with me?
- anything you would normally bring for an overnighter. No need for a tent, unless you want to use it as a ground cloth
- water (personal drinking supply backup)
- mess kit (period plate, cup, utensils)
- something to sit on (period looking chair or hardtack / ammo box)
- wool blanket
- gum blanket
- great coat (if you have one) and winter gear
- flameless candles (battery operated) can be found at places like Bed Bath and Beyond, Walgreens (tea-lights), Costco, and TJ Maxx (aka Home Goods)
- flashlight and cell phone (for emergencies)
- food for Saturday morning, Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch
- money for the commissary
- if you are not hardcore, we suggest you bring a cot, hay tick, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc for the hard wooden floors. It will be cold, dirty and dusty.
- earplugs...it will essentially be a large slumber party divided into many rooms.
Realtime Civil War
You can now follow the Civil War via Twitter or Facebook, as it happened exactly 150 years ago. This is a personal project of mine but I thought someone here might get a kick out of it. :-) You can follow it on:
Everyone's Mix Tape
Do you remember making mix tapes on audio cassettes? Okay, I'm old. Anyway, there's a website for that now. I've taken the 69th song book and added most of the songs to the mix tape. Check it out: http://everyonesmixtape.com/mxt/frMyLDa4vv/
Benicia Event
Rick Gray (our club president) asked me to let you know about a new event. It will be a one-day living history event in Benicia. This will be our first chance of the year to burn gunpowder! More details will be coming later, but put it on your calendar now.
