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March 26,
2000
Oak Glen, California
Dear
Friends and Family,
Ray Herbeck, (pictured on the right) began re-enacting in 1984, and
has been a farm regular for the better part of the last
decade. In "real life" Ray works in the film
industry and has a long list of credits, including work as an
associate producer on the feature films Glory and the IMAX
production Alamo, the Price of Freedom. He
also had a significant hand in the production of Geronimo,
Houston, the Legend of Texas, North & South, and many other
feature films and documentaries.
This
weekend, Ray camped out on the farm with the rest of his re-enactor
buddies who portray Terry's Texas Rangers, otherwise known as the
8th Texas Cavalry. When they were drilling out in
front of the tavern, I kept noticing cars slowing down on Oak Glen
Road to see what was going on. As you can see from
the  picture
on the left, they look like cowboys, (or "drovers" as
cowboys were once called.) You don't expect
to see cowboys drilling and marching and following commands in rank
and file, the way you would a group of Civil War Infantry, but, in
fact, the 8th Texas Cavalry sometimes fought on foot, hence this
weekend's drill practice led by a member of the 10th Virginia.
(Drilling and marching, especially in an orchard, is not as easy as
it looks; your correspondent has marched many a column of school
children into a pruning pile.)
These
rangers, as overheard in the tavern this weekend, were sometimes
mistaken for the famous Texas Rangers--a misconception based on
their wild, irregular appearance and their state of origin.
This was a misconception they made little effort to clarify.
Who
would blame them?
To find out more about Terry's Texas Rangers, contact them here.
If
you are part of re-enacting troop or living history club, consider
Riley's Farm for your next meeting or practice event.
We offer period sleeping accomodations, the use of a post-n-beam
public house, cooking facilties (period and modern), restrooms, and
hundreds of acres of land to explore. It's a
great place--even if we say so ourselves--to play.
Don't
Forget...
This
year, over 6,000 school children will take part in our Living
History Field Trips. Click here
to make it 6,001! There are almost no
dates left in May, but there are a few in April, so call us, now, to
make your reservation (909-797-7534). The price is
$12.00 per participant, with one free adult for every 15 students.
This includes lunch and four hours of participatory living history,
covering either the American Revolution, Civil War, or Early
California.
After
an early March visit this year, a fifth grade teacher from San
Diego wrote us to say, "Thank you for the most wonderful
field trip I have ever hosted for children. Your
knowledge of history, the authenticity of your facilities, the
beauty of the surroundings, and the love of history that you shared
with the students are very much appreciated."
Thanks!
Mark
your calendars! We look
forward to visiting with you soon.
Your
Humble Servant,
James
Riley
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P.S.
For the sake of those "web portals" constantly browsing the
internet to update their search engines, we include the following
boiler-plate. (Feel free to read this, if you're new to our site.)
Riley's Farm is a working apple orchard and living history farm in the Oak
Glen area of Southern California. In addition to farming, we love
history and we have provided a venue for re-enactment units comprising
many different eras. The farm regularly hosts banquets, birthday parties,
weddings, and office parties. Every year, literally thousands of students
participate in one of our school tours, where they experience everything
from weaving, candle-dipping, and cider pressing to the drill and muster
of a Revolutionary War or Civil War battle. Our farm has appeared on the
History Channel and in the recently released feature film, Amistad,
as well as many other film and television productions. (We even try to get
the producers to include us as on screen talent, but that's another
story.) On selected weekends throughout the year, we offer
"farm-stay" weekends, where families can experience--clothing,
wood stoves, muskets, and all--the life of an 18th or 19th century
American farmer. We grow sweet corn, apples, raspberries, pears, and
sunflowers, just to mention a few of our crops. Our nephew, Devon, keeps
some beautiful Belgian draft horses for country hay-rides. We love
America--its traditions, its people, its history, and its cherished
heritage of liberty in Christ. Have we said enough? Well, one more thing:
In the fall, thousands of families make an annual pilgrimage to the farms
of Oak Glen to experience the closest thing to a New England fall
California has to offer. Why don't you stop by and say hello?
P.S.
Stay
Clear of this "Cider House"
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