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Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek

Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada

About the Festival

A small group of the tents

Each year, a large group of people get together and camp out in Stoney Creek to re-enact the Battle of 1812. (Wikipedia has an excellent page on both the battle, and the War of 1812 if you are interested). These people are dedicated - they're not just volunteer actors that show up for the short re-enactment - they are there for the whole weekend, camping out in little tents. A small group of the tents is shown here, although in reality, there are many, many more. I was quite surprised at the size of the festival - it was fairly large, and they had activities for all ages.

Sheep Shearing

The admission fee is $7 for adults and $2 for children. In my opinion, the re-enactment is well worth the $7. In addition to the re-enactment, there are fireworks on the Saturday evening, many vendors selling lots of poor merchandise, some not-so-poor merchandise, and food. There is a blacksmith who talks about making things from different metals, a group shearing sheep, and a museum with lively story-tellers that talk about the Battle of Stoney Creek. The museum is in a house that American troops used as their headquarters during the invasion, although it has been restored since then.

Cost

Adults were charged $7 for admission, and children were charged $2. Children under 5 were free.

The Re-Enactment

A close-up shot of the re-enactment actors

I was surprised at the scope of the re-enactment. There was an announcer who provided useful tidbits of information about what the actors were doing, and what soldiers during the time period would have done during such a battle. There were a large number of actors that simulated the battle. The air rang with the sound of cannon fire, and the air became smoky from all the muskets that were being fired. It was quite enjoyable. (There were many children that also seemed to be enjoying the battle).