Back a few years ago I had started to write a short story about a revival meeting.  As in one from the First or Second Great Awakening, circa 1840s or so, probably in the Burnt-Over District in upstate NY.  The interesting thing is that I wrote the story while trying to imagine how a good reenactor group would try it today.  Find a good spot in the woods and/or the field (getting modern permits and all that), near some form of water supply (in reality having portable toilets and a water buffalo tank out of sight).  Build a covered platform, set up the tents, park the wagons and the horses, and have a revival meeting with speakers most of the day.

My only stipulation research wise would be to say that all the public speakers, be they religious spiritual and so on, must stick to period religious topics. Stepping onto my own personal soapbox, I cannot stand field church services at events where they use it as a platform for modern sermons.  Save it for the podium back home, skippy; we want a period sermon, because, oh, I don't know, most of us came out here to experience a slice of nineteenth century history??  Too much to ask for some folks, I see.  Soapbox put away.

Researching, writing, rehearsing period sermons will require a lot more research, true.  But - a lot of sermons are out there, online, un-condensed from their original two-hour format.  So it can be done; it's just a question of people willing to take the time to try it.  And training their voices to project without using a microphone.  If you want that useful skill anyway, I'd suggest Toastmasters International. http://www.toastmasters.org/  Actually, they have a lot of skills reenactors could use in the field.

Civilian-only event, obviously, with a reason (okay, let's not lie, EXCUSE) to camp out, and in its best iteration three to four days.  If anything it would give us a great opportunity to see just how much of an impact religion had on The Original Cast.  And no, don't ask me to organize this because I have not the first clue how to go about doing this.

But I would attend . . .

That would be an event that I would love to attend!  Civilian camp, 1840s, revival meetings... it sounds like a lot of fun.  I think the passion and drama of an 1840s revival meeting is something that modern people just don't understand as it is so far removed from our culture.  It would be fascinating to conjure one up and experience it.  It would be a wonderful way to understand the original cast better.

     I just came across a advertisement for a tent meeting. The date escapes me but was early 1830-1840 range. The advertisement asked that no peddler types bother attending. Specifically the gingerbread salesman and several others. So I'm assuming it was common practice for peddlers to show up and attempt to sell goods.             Stephanie

I believe the folks out at Boonesfield, MO will be attempting a first-person, immersion revival event next fall.  Perhaps you could send VMurphy or Silvana an email.