Hi Jim,
I used to be the Events Manager at Naper Settlement, a 19th century living history museum and one of the events that I was responsible for was Civil War Days. This event has actually been taking place at Naper Settlement for over 20 years and to my knowledge, reenactors have never been paid a fee. About 250-300 union and confederate reenactors would come to our site on Friday night, and camp out on our grounds until Sunday late afternoon. The event runs from 10 –4 on Saturday and Sunday.
We did not pay them any fee, but we did (and they still do) provide an Officer’s Breakfast (usually coffee, juice, and donuts) on Saturday and Sunday mornings for reenactors ranked as officer’s and a stew dinner on Saturday night for all of the reenactors. We also provide a ball on Saturday night in the high school next to our site. We provide a band that knows how to coordinate the era appropriate dancing, decorations and refreshments. During the event on Saturday and Sunday we would provide Ladies Activities that were free to all of the women reenactors. These activities were usually some kind of era appropriate craft or tea party. We also usually have a fashion show/competition for the best dressed reenactors, they won small prizes.
We also provide the black powder for the battle that takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
In general, we try as hard as we can to make the reenactors know how much we appreciate them coming every year. Without them, there would be no event. Sutlers also come, which are reenactors that sell their wares from tents. They also camp out the entire weekend. We do not charge them any kind of fee to set up and sell their products, but they must sell era appropriate items and be dressed as reenactors.
We also give out ribbons to all participating reenactors that they can keep they say Civil War Days 200-.
We do pay some specific characters that we hire for each day such as Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, Generals Lee and Grant, etc. Their fees range from approx. $75 a day to $150 a day.
I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions that I can help with.
Robin Frisch
Experience Director
MindSplash