Historic event has a future

Posted: Aug. 18, 2009

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KELLY SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHER

Richard Saulpaugh of Greendale demonstrates to John and Joan Daily some of the combat weapons and techniques of Roman legionnaires during the historic time line event in the Lisbon Community Park.

KELLY SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHER

Richard Saulpaugh of Greendale demonstrates to John and Joan Daily some of the combat weapons and techniques of Roman legionnaires during the historic time line event in the Lisbon Community Park.

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Town of Lisbon — Pete Schubert of Wind Lake, an early Wisconsin history buff who dressed as a french fur trader, was one of about three dozen re-enactors who participated in last weekend's historic time line event at the Lisbon Community Park.

Schubert said he attends as many weekend historic festivals and re-enactment events "as my wife will let me." It looks like Schubert, his wife willing, can put Lisbon on his calendar for next year.

After a significant - almost dramatic - increase in attendance at the second year of the event, town officials appear ready to make it an annual affair.

Town Supervisor Dan Fischer, who is the Town Board's liaison to the park committee and parks department, said he was pleased with the increase in attendance and "would be interested having it again next year"

Only a handful of people attended last year's event, according to town officials.

More intense promotion of the event - particularly at the Pauline Haas Library ice cream social earlier in the month - helped increase attendance this year according to Park Chairwoman Marlene Kumitsch.

Kumitsch said the event may be scheduled next year for the fourth weekend in August when there will be fewer competing community events on the weekend before the Labor Day weekend

She also anticipates that more antique and historic exhibits will be added to the event.

Kumitsch said there were more people at the event during Saturday morning this year than attended on Saturday and Sunday last year. She described this year's Sunday attendance as steady.

However, it was still a relatively small crowd the size of which "shocked" Dody Schmitt of Hartland who said "it is sad more people are not here."

Schmitt, somewhat of a history buff herself, convinced her daughter Sheila Farafjord and her husband Brent to bring their twin boys Erik and Phillip, 7, and 5-year-old daughter, Anna, to the event.

"The kids like all of the stuff," the grandmother observed as the family visited Schubert's camp where he displayed animal pelts caught by the fur traders and some of the equipment and weapons they used.

The re-enactors spent the weekend in their encampments on the north side of the park near the Bug Line Recreational Trial providing visitors with demonstrations and information about the time period they were re-enacting.

Richard Saulpaugh of Greendale was dressed in the amour of a Roman legionnaire while he discussed various combat strategies and techniques with John and Joan Daily and daughters Imogene, 9, and Monica, 16, of the Town of Lisbon.

One of the reasons the Roman army was so successful was because of its organizational structure, according to Saulpaugh.

"One of the nice things about being behind a Roman shield was there were always six other guys behind you," he told the Dailys.

"It is a lot of fun. The people who come here are very interested. When you give kids information, you can see the wonderment in their eyes," Saulpaugh said.

Chris Kuenn of Sussex was shooting photos of his daughter Beatrice, 12, in front of another Roman legion camp while son Gabe, 14 watched.

"I had no idea they were going to have a Roman legion's camp here. Gabe has a fascination about World War II," Kuenn said.

Gabe's fascination about World War II is unusual, according to Bob Starr of Caledonia, a World War II re-enactor who explains the role of a combat chaplain to visitors inside his replica of a World War II tent.

"Most young adults know very little about World War I, World War II and Korea.

"They are either not listening in their history classes or it isn't being taught to them," Starr said.

The Sussex Piggly Wiggly donated the "rations" of beef, pork and vegetables that the re-enactors cooked over open fires while they spent Friday and Saturday night in their encampment in the park.