Remembrance Day...

[sigman]

Hearing the bands play throughout the weekend surely adds to the experience of being in Gettysburg. The music sounds great!

I do wish bands could somehow take cadence from the band in front of them. The boys in the battalions always hear the bands to their front and rear and comment that they are out of sync with each other, thus marchers can't stay in step. Remedies?

Play on, Andy Siganuk, 12th NJ, Co. K, Mifflin Guard

[Julio C. Zangroniz]

Gentlemen,
The parade organizers should make a more earnest effort at separating the bands with 2-3 marching units, so their sound should not confuse anyone.
It is my hope to be present this Saturday at as many Remembrance Day ceremonies as possible.
Being a "one-man band," however, it is obvious that I can NOT be there for most of the doings on this so very busy day.
At best, I'm lucky enough to get to two ceremonies in the morning, then some of the parade assembly, and finally some of the parade itself. And maybe a ceremony or two afterwards.
Be that as it may, I always aim to participate in two or more different ceremonies each year, the very reason why I always ask in this forum who is going to be there, and what you expect to be doing, as well as the time and place.
Regardless of how I feel, physically, I always try to visit the parade assembly area before the marching begins, where I visit with both the Federal and Confederate units. And since I am, in the final analysis, an utter civilian, I ALWAYS try to pay attention to the civilian contingents, for most people (or news media) tend to ignore them completely.
As soon as the marching starts, most years, I hightail it to a spot in town where I can perch on a sidewalk and photograph the marchers, interfering as little as possible with those who secured street-side positions earlier in the day.
Most of the time, those early birds tolerate the interference from this "news" type. I thank them for that. A lot of times, my Modus Operandi (MO) produces some great images. More often, it doesn't.
If I don't have great images to offer the newspaper, the chances of publication become nil, or maybe worse. Thank God there are other contributing photographers out there!
If I'm lucky enough, I end up with some good images. Sometimes GREAT! It's all due to you, the reenactors. Thank you for your cooperation.
Last year, Remembrance Day was, photographically speaking, a real horror for me. Most of my images were incredibly affected by the extreme cold temperatures. In fact, the problem lay with my camera batteries, which were just too cold to provide enough voltage for the camera to work as intended. I lost a lot of great images. Sorry about that.
Lesson learned, so I should be better prepared this year.
I plan to bring TWO spare sets of batteries that will be kept properly insulated (namely, warm) until they are needed.
Hopefully, that will mean the batteries will be ready to go into action as SOON as they are needed. Right now, I am typing with fingers crossed.
I'm also plan to bring TWO thermos bottles that will be full of hot items (one coffee, one tea) to be stored in my van, which will be parked close enough to get a quick shot of steaming fluid should the need arise.
Hope to see as many members of the board as possible on Remembrance Day. Don't be afraid to say Hi'ya to the fellow in the white duster. He's quite friendly, after all.
Julio

[wheres_my_horse]

Friday - Partly Cloudy 59 Winds 10 to 20. Low 40
Saturday - Cloudy 57. Low 40
Sunday - Cloudy 56. Low 45

Looks like warmer than last year.