This was definitely not on our radar for something to do during our weekend on Lake Erie. We just happened to drive by yesterday afternoon on our way to Geneva SP. We made a rather spontaneous decision this morning to drive back to Conneaut and see what this D-Day reenactment was all about. We were exceedingly impressed from the time we walked into the park. As we walked into Occupied France we made a phone call to Mark, our favorite D-Day Buff, who informed us that we were in the largest D-Day reenactment in the country and told us in no uncertain terms that we would stay for the battle at 3PM. We did. In the hours leading up to it we wandered through camp listening to reenactors regale us with history of WWII in general and D-Day in particular. We stood in line for a crazy long time to get some food. And we stood on the hillside overlooking the beach for at least an hour waiting for the battle to commence. Along with thirty thousand others we watched fifteen hundred reenactors land on the beach and battle it out on land and from the air. The uniforms and equipment were very impressive, especially the tanks, numerous landing craft, the B-17, B-24, P-51’s, and the German 88’s (especially when fired!
I do not recall anything other than recommending that you stay for the battle based on what I had heard about the event. It sounds like you enjoyed it despite the long wait for food.
It is on our list to do someday.
Mark
Regardless of how we state it, we’re glad you made the recommendation and that we acted upon it. And we agree with Patti about putting it on the bucket list. Care to rendezvous there in 2016 or 2017. Are you going to do photography as a spectator or a re-enactor? http://petapixel.com/2015/08/18/d-day-photos-recreated-through-a-war-reenactment/