Battle Re-enactment Weekend - July 12 - 13, 2008

The Friends of Crysler's Farm will be staging the 195th anniversary re-enactment of the battle that halted the November, 1813 invasion of Canada on the weekend of July 12 and 13, 2008 at the Battlefield Memorial.

Re-enactors portraying American and Anglo-Canadian armies and His Majesty's Mohawk Allies will take part in three battles - Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday afternoon - on the grounds of Crysler Memorial Park and inside Upper Canada Village. Many of the units taking part are re-creations of the actual regiments that fought on John Crysler's Farm on November 11, 1813. The rattle of musketry will be punctuated by the roar of cannons as the two armies depict engagements from the troubled times of the War of 1812 when armies from the new republic to the south invaded British North America seeking to make it the newest state.

They will be accompanied by civilians portraying the camp life of those who accompanied armies of the period while they were on the march. The tented camps of both armies, crafters, artisans and suttlers will combine to bring the largest-ever display of living history to an area that is no stranger to the heritage of this country.

Upper Canada Village, immediately adjacent to the Battlefield Memorial, is a re-creation of a typical settlement along the shores of the St. Lawrence at the time of Confederation and in 2000 was named the top visitor attraction in Canada. The site also includes a memorial to the Loyalist settlers who carved the province of Upper Canada from the wilderness after having lost their homes and possessions for their loyalty to the Crown during the American Revolution.

So circle the dates of July 12 and 13 now on your calendar for this summer and watch as history comes alive at Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial.

Admission to each of the three battle re-enactments is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

Of special note to historical re-enactors: bounties will be paid for artillery. Three meals will be provided along with camping amenities. The Crysler's Farm re-enactments are being organized by experienced re-enactors from across Eastern Ontario who have been staging events since the early 1980s. Watch the Yahoo War of 1812 discussion site for announcements regarding this year's re-enactment.