Kalamazoo Living History Show 2023 | Event Tour

I'm Ethan,I love muzzleloading and this is the 47th Annual Kalamazoo Living History Show

Shop the vendors online at http://kalamazooshow.com/links.html

I've said before this is one of my favorite shows every year. It's one of the largest shows in the United States definitely one of the largest east of the Mississippi and I think the vendors and the craftspeople and the businesses that were in attendance this year really stepped up their game. There's just some wonderful work all through the event halls. All three massive rooms were just jam-packed with anything that you could enjoy about everything pre-1890.

Our focus is on the muzzleloading era, but the representation of quality and the passion for history and material culture of everybody who came before us here today was just wonderful. There were a variety of new vendors and craftspeople in attendance and I think that their presence was very welcome. It was just nice to see that new variety but also nice to shop from those same people that we've seen come and come again over the years.

More than 10,000 historical re-enactors, history enthusiasts, collectors, and the general public from the United States and Canada are expected to attend the 47th annual Kalamazoo Living History Show™.

The show attracts many of the finest artisans and vendors of pre-1890 living history supplies and related crafts from throughout the United States and Canada. Other highlights include children’s activities, Native American cultural programs, and artisans who will demonstrate their crafts.

Program Theme of the 47th Annual Kalamazoo Living History Show™ One if by Land, Two if by Sea?

These words were penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem “Paul Revere's Ride” to describe the signal used to guide the “midnight ride of Paul Revere” at the start of the Revolutionary War. We all remember the poem- Paul Revere arranged to have a signal lit in the Old North Church – one lantern if the British were coming by land and two lanterns if they were coming by sea – and began to make preparations for his ride to alert the local militias and citizens about the impending attack. This was the fastest means of communication during that time. Methods of communication have changed greatly, and the living history, historical site, and museum communities are beginning to recognize the great usefulness of technology and social media to educate, promote, and recruit. It is harder and harder to connect and communicate by older, traditional methods such as flyers or brochures, as a new generation of history enthusiasts looks to connect with history through ways with which they are more familiar- social media. These newer methods of communication, such as podcasts, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Tick Tock, are helping educate, recruit, and spread the word to a whole new generation. Join us for the 47th annual Kalamazoo Living History Show as we meet some of the people successfully using video technology, social media, and other modern methods of communication to build a wider, more multi-generational audience for historical interpretation and communication. Ways to revitalize our hobby/sport/ lifestyle and assure its survival into the future will be discussed.

The Kalamazoo Living History Show™ is open to the general public Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $9.00 for a single day adult pass; $13.00 for a weekend adult pass.

Children 12 years of age and under admitted free when accompanied by a parent.

Kalamazoo Living History Show 2024 Dates

If you're looking forward to and want to mark your calendars for next year's Kalamazoo Living History Show it will be March 16th - 17th 2024. I encourage you to put this one on your calendars!