Civil War Reenactment

Civil War history comes alive at this reenactment festival. Not only are battles staged several times each day over the course of a weekend, but also guests can visit the armies’ camps. There is a «Sutlers’ Camp», which show what portable shops and services were like accompanying the soldiers.
We spent a little extra to sit in the grandstand and watch the battle. Cannons go off repeatedly, and black powder guns spew impressive smoke. A narration about the history of the war is expertly read while soldiers fight on the field.
Ideally, all school kids could attend this event. Not to glorify war, or make it «fit for entertainment value» (as some critics on FB have stated), but rather to educate them about the political forces at that time in our nation’s history. The learning experience of seeing a glimpse of how the soldiers and supporters lived during that time is also very valuable.
We purchased leather bracelets for our grandson and nephews at one of the vendor’s tent. He hand-​stamped their names and also custom colored the leather from a selection of dye samples. All for $ 5 a piece. Great deal! And great story for where they came from when they became stocking stuffers.
Be prepared for lots of dust! Not a lot of food choices at the site, though there are some.
Congratulations to the Moorpark Rotary for all the tremendous work to pull off such a large-​scale and meaningful event.

One of my favorite fall events each year is experiencing the civil war reenactment, held in the fields of Moorpark (west of LA county). If ever you wanted to feel or see what it would be like to experience that era, this is the place. There is nothing like it in this side of the west coast. Such a spectacular event that only happens one weekend out of the year.
The participants or actors here are awesome, allot of them get into character including the Ab Lincoln. My first visit was a bit strange, as you walk onto the grounds the camping area was split into two sections (North and South). Oddly most spectators avoided the south but hey someone has to play them otherwise it just be a bunch of Northerners fighting themselves. But the area is open to the public to explore both sides.
This is a great spot to bring family and make history exciting to see. If you are a fan of the movie Glory or Cold Mountain, hit this event. Even more is the twilight reenactment which is filled with explosions and loud blasts that roar through the fields. Truly enjoy this event and hope they continue for many years.
Great photo op for the avid photographer, just don’t hog the front too much. The crowds here are pretty friendly and the food stands are more than reasonable. It makes you wonder if in a hundred years someone will be reenacting our wars.

This review was for the event during the summer of 2014.
My friend comes here almost every year because he’s a photographer and can capture the most stunning photographs. I was hoping for a Renaissance Faire-​like place, but it was less of it. Not as much interaction between visitors and the cast, but they were very friendly. We got to pose with their rifles.
The war reenactment was very cool. Loud canons go off. It is roped off, so you watch from a distance. If you’re a photographer, bring your longest lens and the widest one.
Parking was easy. The shuttle took us into the event area.
Food was lacking.

Billed as the largest Civil War Reenactments west of the Mississippi River, this is a well done and informative event.
Apparently this is an annual fall event, organized and run by the Rotary Club of Moorpark. Between the reenactments, the encampment, and the food vendors, our grandsons had a great time and, I think, learned a bit. They really loved the cannons blasting away over and over again during the reenactment. And the calvary, riding by a few feet from where they sat observing.
The people at the encampment were all friendly, especially those managing the carriage horses and the blacksmith. Our grandsons did a lot of staring at the old clothes, especially the full petticoat dresses the women and girls wore.
The proceeds go to charities. My hat is off to the Rotary members who no doubt spend uncountable hours making this work so well.