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Courtesy: The Chronicle Herald
LOUISBOURG — Thousands of people began converging on the Fortress of Louisbourg site Friday to kick off a weekend celebration of a British military victory 250 years ago.
Re-enactors from across North America, including an extra who rode with Mel Gibson in The Patriot a few years back, have come to recreate a pivotal moment in history that helped shape Canada and the United States.
"I was busy hanging out and riding with Mel, yes," joked Mike Krznarich, 40, who was dressed as a member of the British forces, as was his son Alex, 12.
Alex was looking forward to carrying the company flag Friday evening, when the hundreds of re-enactors were expected to parade in Louisbourg, a few kilometres away from the old French site whose construction began in 1719. The defeat of the French in June and July of 1758, at the hands of British forces led by Gen. James Wolfe, launched a British stronghold in the Atlantic that allowed a successful attack against Quebec the following year at the Plains of Abraham.
The weekend’s revelries are expected to attract up to 20,000 visitors, organizers said.
"I’m glad to be here," said Alex, who took part in a July 4 re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg with his dad and 10 others from Cincinnati, Ohio. "I meet a lot of people. (Re-enacting history) is fascinating; it’s really neat and I love re-enacting."
Mr. Krznarich, who has a team of "gun-trained horses," wore period costume in the Gibson movie.
He said this is "the largest re-enactment I’ve been to . . . and we kind of get in character and stay that way for the events," he said.
Two friends dressed in French militia costume agreed, as other re-enactors, including pirates, mingled with tourists. Period fireworks planned for tonight will follow the first-ever simulated night battle, to be fought outside the King’s Bastion on the Louisbourg site.
"We love history and I actually had relatives here in the 1730s and 1740s on my mother’s side, so I have a family connection to here as well," said Mike Blakeslee of Vermont. "This is such a great place."
Brown Richardson said the two friends had some difficulty getting their guns across the border.
"They didn’t quite understand the logistics of the guns . . . but then they realized they were antique," he said of the border officials.
And it was worth the effort, Mr. Richardson said.
"This is my first time here and it’s kind of like a mecca, this spot. . . . It’s a high point in my re-enactments," he said, leaning on his musket as the sun broke through a stubborn fog that hugged Cape Breton’s south coast most of Friday.
Zita Jack of Sydney said her visit to the historic seaside Fortress of Louisbourg on Friday was "incredible."
"It’s beautiful," Ms. Jack said. "We’re really impressed. I’ve never seen anything like this in North America. I’ve been to many castles in Europe . . . and forts in Ontario, which were nice but not this beautiful.
"It’s great seeing people dressed in costume too, just walking around. . . . It kind of feels like you’re back in that period."
Celebrations will continue until Sunday at 4:30 p.m., including food, music, dance, crafts and an artillery demonstration.
"Louisbourg is certainly a gem of Canadian heritage," MP Gerald Keddy said Friday. "It’s the largest reconstruction anywhere in North America. . . . In the evenings, when groups are sitting around their campfires, it’s absolutely incredible."
Reconstruction of the fortified town began in 1961.
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