What can I say? We successfully pulled off another fine event at Old World Wisconsin. Visitor numbers were down from previous years, but much of that had to do with the competition with the Harley 105th Anniversary and the cost of fuel prices at the pump. We drew 982 visitors on Saturday and around 741 on Sunday. Oddly, it seemed that Sunday was the busier day.

The weather held out nicely for us, with no rain and temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s. All-in-all a good weekend for a wedding and a funeral.

The elections went very well, with Lincoln winning over McClellan by a sizable lead. The period ballots and ballot jars really added to the experience. Kudos to Dave Gerow and Jason Reinholz for their fine orations on behalf of the parties they represented. I wasn't able to catch Dave's speech, but was there for Jason's.

We all kept very busy all day on Saturday, both with preparing for the afternoon wedding and with interaction with the visitors. The cicada eating party was an interesting diversion and invoked many a gag reflex from the public. If you're curious about the incident and would like to learn if cicadas taste like minty shrimp when cooked, please visit the "Sinks" over at the AC. I've placed a posting there.

Nancy and Terry's wedding was one for the books. It was very well orchestrated and, from what I could tell, came off as it was intended to. Unkle Beau officiated the blessed event and performed his pastoral duties admirably.

The reception was also very nicely done. The food was excellent and in great abundance. Special recognition to the members of the Ol' Sipley Mess and a couple of others for helping to serve beverages and to ensure that the bowls were kept full at all times. We even got a visit from the Hairy Nation after Holler figured out he went the wrong direction and arrived an hour late for the festivities.

Sunday was more low key than Saturday, but we didn't have any trouble finding things to keep us occupied. Jason brought his football along and some of the boys engaged in an friendly game on Sunday afternoon. I probably shot over 100 action-packed images of that activity and will place them in the gallery when I finish sorting through them all.

The funeral couldn't have come off any better. I can still recall the 2002 effort and it was completely eclipsed by this year's scenario. Rod Miller portrayed a traveling pastor and offered us Sunday morning worship service, which was held in the church, and officiated the funeral. Without having to rehearse, everyone involved in the scenario did exactly what they were supposed to do and presented the visitors with a realistic view of a Victorian funeral.

All in all, I was extremely pleased with how the weekend turned out. There were so many highlights to the event that will be talked about for years to come. I talked with Tom Kroemer, special events coordinator at Old World Wisconsin, and he was also pleased with our effort and was optimistic that the Civil War Experience will not be one of the events to hit the chopping block for 2009. I will keep you all updated as I plan to meet with the director and key staff members sometime in the future to discuss the future of the event and our overall relationship with the museum.

For next year? Did I hear somebody suggest the Peninsular Campaign as an idea? Let's look into that.

To all who attended and put in so much hard work to make this event a success, I humbly thank you and appreciate all that you have done. It has more than paid off and you should all be very pleased with yourselves for a job well done.

With sincere gratitude,

Dave Frohmader