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More than 400 reenactors helped bring the event together at George Washington's Mount Vernon
MT VERNON, Va. — Thousands flocked to George Washington's Mount Vernon this weekend for a chance to turn back time.
The historical site hosted its annual Revolutionary War Weekend, featuring hundreds of reenactors from across the east coast.
In a modern world with so many distractions, many participants celebrated the opportunity to see history up close.
"There is a lot that you can do online, but it's not the same," said Mallory Dansereau, a reenactor and seamstress who runs a business selling 18th-century-style clothing.
The weekend-long event featured artillery demonstrations, musical performances, and hundreds of reenactors encamped on the sprawling Mount Vernon estate.
The Gongol family drove from Ohio to experience it with their two young children.
Elementary schooler Elena Gongol's favorite part?
"Meeting George Washington," she said.
For her father Mark, it was a chance to share some of his own history with his kids.
"I'm grateful because they get the chance to experience these living history sort of events that I got to experience as a kid," he said. "Those are some of my fondest memories and I'm just hopeful that these will be theirs."
For Ted Borek, reenactments offer an unparalleled window into the past.
"For the same reason that I think that books are better than Kindle because you actually come in contact with a material object that has heft, that has reality, that exists independent of some mysterious signal in the sky," he said.
Borek is retired now, but spent three decades with the state department and attended reenactments like this weekend's for years while working there.
To him, there is a purpose to the hobby.
"To give people, especially younger people...an interest in their history," said Borek.
Donned in her own 18th-century-style dress, Elena Gongol was thrilled to soak in the sights and sounds of the reenactment.
"George Washington is our first president and honestly everyone should know that name and he did not wear wooden teeth!" declared the elementary schooler.
That excitement is what drives reenactors like Dansereau to bring American history to life.
"It's joyful. It's magical. And it's engaging in a way that education is not always," she said.
English (US) ·