The Program:

This is an American Living History camp dedicated to telling the story of the American Revolution with first-person living history interpreters, period crafts, battle re-enactments, country skills, music, dancing, hiking–all with a special emphasis on learning the skill of writing it all down, led by award winning children’s author, Jenny L. Cote.  We explore this history by immersing the campers in one little colonial town, Chesterfield, New Hampshire, using real names from the period.

 

Dates:

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July 8-11, July 15-18, July 22-25

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Details: 

 

Age Range: 4th to 7th Grade

Price $650 Per Camper, includes 10 meals, 4 days, 3 nights, cot & tent accommodations.  
20% discount pay-in-full discount ends February 10th.  
10% Discount Pay in full discount from Feb 11 to March 10.

 

Location:
Riley’s Farm, Oak Glen, California. 
Riley’s Farm is a 760 acre farm in the historic apple region of Oak Glen, on the site of the 1880 Wilshire homestead.  The farm sees as many as 80,000 students a year in recreations of the American Revolution, the California Gold Rush, and the American Civil War.

 

Dramatic/Living History Itinerary:
Chesterfield, New Hampshire 1761-1789

Throughout the experience, the campers will witness, or be the victim of, royal infringements on liberty that illustrate the reasons for the Bill of Rights.  There will be periodic breaks throughout the itinerary to allow the campers to record their impressions in their journals.

 

Wednesday Day/Evening:

The Road to Lexington
 

• April 1775:  Afternoon activities focused on the Stamp Act, Tea Party, Minute Companies, Powder Alarms, frontier construction & skills.

• Towards dinner, campers witness a rider come into town with alarming news, and they hear a stirring message from Chesterfield Pastor, Abraham Wood.

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Thursday:

1776 and 1777 (Inspiration and Doubts)
 

• Dawn:  Morning patrol, making “ship’s bread” for the troops.  What’s this we hear of an enemy capture?

• Morning:   Summer of 1776  — a festive time of celebration, taking “association tests” of loyalty to the new congress, celebration of the British evacuating Boston.   Activities:  fife and drum, archery, tomahawks, drill and muster, followed by lunch.

• Afternoon:  Summer of 1777  Events take a serious and ominous turn.  Burgoyne’s army of British, Hessian, and Indian troops threatens the Hudson valley and all of New England.  The town must decide, “do we surrender our weapons or prepare for a fight?”

• Evening:  Ominous news about the battle of Bennington, town debate, General John Stark delivers good news. A country dance with live music.

 

Friday:

1778 -1783 Philadelphia Evacuation to the Treaty of Paris
 

• Morning and Afternoon:  The story of the war’s southern theater to be told by first person living historians playing Francis Marion, the swamp fox, Nathaneal Greene and Patrick Henry. 

• Evening: Pastor Abraham Wood recounts the great events of the war, the sacrifices made, the lives lost, and issues a spiritual challenge to the children.

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Saturday:
1783-1789 The Bill of Rights

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• Activities focus on the weakness of the articles of confederation, the adoption of the Constitution, and the debate over the Bill of Rights, along with Henry’s objections to the Constitution without the Bill of Rights.   Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry debate the Constitution.  Campers share their experiences and what they have learned.

• Afternoon lunch and awards ceremony with parents.

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Jenny L. Cote:
Writing America's story

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• ​Every camper will be assigned to a real character from the town of Chesterfield, New Hampshire. 

• Campers will make journals to record notes from Jenny's daily workshops, research, and crafting a story for their character. Jenny and camp counselors will work with campers to assist and review their writing.

• Campers will have the unique opportunity for colonial ambience of sitting by candellight in the Hawk's Head Tavern at Riley's Farm to work on their stories and write with a feather quill if they desire.

• Sixty days before camp, campers will receive an email with their character's name and access to a private web page with extensive sources to research the American Revolution on their own. Any research that campers wish to do prior to camp is completely voluntary, but will enrich their experience at camp.

• Awards will be given to campers who strive to be the most Epic Patriot Campers of the week, including the opportunity to be written in as an animal character in Jenny's next Revolutionary War book.

• Jenny will be in attendance for the first two weeks of Epic Patriot Camp. For the third week, campers will still have journals to record their daily reflections, but the writing component will not be as integral to the daily schedule or experience.