Description Hartford Historical Society - As history lovers count down the days till the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Hartford history teacher Israel Provoncha presented his lecture "Interpreting Historical Interpreting: The Evolution of Revolutionary War Reenacting" to the Hartford Historical Society on June 11, 2025. For centuries people have been recreating historical events, not only to commemorate them, but often for religious reasons. In the modern era the nature of reenacting changed significantly resulting in a hobby that often asks its members to participate in events that happen on weekends throughout the summer. The Revolutionary War reenactment community saw a surge during the nation's bicentennial and again during the 225th. Now we are in the midst of the semiquincentennial and the nature of the "hobby", as it is colloquially known, is seeing significant change that is shifting the way history is being interpreted and presented. We will trace the history of the reenacting community and how it has changed over time, exploring the impact that research, technology, and interpretation have shifted over time and its impact on the "hobby" and the history community at large. He described how the hobby of reenacting goes back to the Romans reenacting Greek battles, up to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, U.S. Civil War veterans reuniting to relive Pickett's Charge fifty years after facing each other during the Battle of Gettysburg, up to presenting details about his genre, the American Revolution. He also discussed the layers of authenticity, sewing his own clothing, acting as an extra in films and attending events from "just down the river" at Fort #4 to Waterloo. From a raw recruit doing everything wrong, to now having his own children toting wooden muskets, his story lifts the mists of time to reveal a consuming interest in how the past really was. Izzy Provoncha is a high school social studies teacher at Hartford High School, a Vermont 250th Commissioner, and has been reenacting for over 28 years through multiple time periods that range from the French and Indian War through Vietnam. He lives with is wife and two sons, Harrison and Theron, in Tunbridge, Vermont.