July 2019 • Nebraskaland 37
he cannon smoke has mostly dispersed, visitors are
trickling back to the parking lot, and Sarah Dack is
taking a break.
She portrays an offi cer's wife at Fort Kearny State
Historical Park's living history events, and looks every
inch the part. Dack is wearing a big-brimmed sunbonnet,
leather ankle boots, a sky-blue skirt, and a muslin shirt with
pearl buttons, a stand-up collar, and a gathered yoke. Her
accessories include an engraved pocket watch necklace and
small dangling earrings.
At a living history event like this one, it's a common sight
– men, women and children walking around dressed in
beautiful period clothing, looking as if they've stepped out
of a history textbook. But putting that look together isn't so
simple.
"You don't go to Walmart to buy anything; everything is
handmade, and it follows a pattern or some historical piece,"
said Betty Hruska of Firth, Nebraska.
There's also the challenge of being historically accurate.
"In a way, we are educating the public. You're trying to
portray an accurate look," said Heather Blazicevich of
Omaha. "We want people to feel like, 'My time spent here was
good because people really care about historical accuracy.'"
When it comes to fi nding that perfect outfi t, you've got a
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
PHOTO
BY
RENAE
BLUM
A Stitch in Time
In the world of living history, the clothes make the man (and woman)
By Renae Blum
Interpreters demonstrate military drills during a living history event at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park.
T
