1864 Kentucky Trial Event:
(August 10-12, 2007)
or the son of Inn at Peak's Mill
&
grandson of Struggle for Statehood!
Mission Statement:
The goal of the authenticity standards for this event is to create as accurate an over-all impression as possible--physically, mentally, and in behavior--without over-emphasizing any one area. The purpose is not only to give each person the sense that he or she is surrounded by real people of another era, but to give each individual the feeling that he or she has personally left the modern world behind and become, as much as possible a part of the the time and place being depicted.
The trial portion of this event will be low key, and focus on the personalities, stragegies, and legal maneuvering, and such, and not something overly dramatic.
This event isn't going to represent any one historic event, but rather a composite one based upon other real trials of the same time period shown interest would like to have a trial based upon realistic procedure. And the arguements will come from period Kentucky state legal revisions. Not limited to, but including: Revised Statutes of Kentucky, in force from July 1, 1852, and a copy of the relevant parts of the updated statutes of 1860 and A Digest of the General Laws of Kentucky, 1866. The latter being a chronological account of the changes in the law between 1861 and 1866.
General Rules and Guidelines.
Clothing should be typical and practical for your character and the circumstances being portrayed. No modern undergarments or hidden modern layers; all clothing should be reproductions of period garments. No modern eyeglasses.
Food will be based on what would be typical for the time and place for a rather rural tavern, and will be provided, prepared and served by the "inn staff." "Alcohol" served at the tavern will be non-alcoholic substitutes -- this is a non-alcoholic event.
Sleeping arrangements: There is a common room upstairs in the Sullivan House.
The following will be strictly enforced by way of a pre-event inspection. No cameras, cell phones, watches, cigarettes, make-up, modern wallets, modern eye-glasses, no daily wear contact lenses, etc. Use of modern electronics such as cell phones during the event will result in expulsion. No alcohol!
The only exception to the "no non-reproductions" rule is one car key, if you wish, and medical items such as prescription medicine, asthma inhalers, and only if you feel it necessary, a card with medical information. Extended wear contact lenses and feminine napkins/tampons also may be included as medical items. All modern medical items should be concealed in period-style containers and used as discretely as possible.
If you have questions about any specific item, feel free to discuss it with Linda Trent.
First person is required at all times except during an emergency, from the event begins on Friday, until the conclusion Sunday noon, even during traditional "down times" such as early morning, late night, etc. This means that anything you say should be what your character might have said--no discussions about other reenactments, museums, research from a modern historian's viewpoint, the internet, modern transportation, etc.
There will be plenty of opportunity before the event to get to know one another through the internet, and to plan and discuss our characters and their relationships with each other, to make first person easy and interesting when we finally get together. And, of course, time in the parking lot before and after the event to talk about things.
In case of a 21st century emergency anything like, "call 911" or "get a paramedic" should instantly tell us that it is a real emergency and not part of play. I personally do not believe in being 'cute' when we have a life and death situation, and once a real wounded person comes in everyone in that area is going to be exposed to 21st century talk anyway.
We are counting on everyone to help us enforce these guidelines to help make it a successful event. And as is our usual routine, the following will be in force during the event.
Everyone who agrees to come has agreed to develop a strict 24/7 first person impression, and has agreed to these standards. If anyone breaks character, it then becomes your duty to
1. Try to bring them back around, by using first person. Something as simple as "What are you talking about?" is usually enough, but if it is not...
2. Try taking the person aside by asking, "May I speak to you in private?" And remind the individual of the rules that he/she agreed to.
3. I would be totally shocked if we get to this one, which is get me and next offense the individual will be asked to leave.
But with all the pre-event prep, we've seldom gotten beyond #1.
An example of how this event will be run is Struggle for Statehood. If you have any questions about anything in the guidelines, feel free to contact Linda Trent.
registration form is located at: Trial Registration
