Employee Spotlight

The Patriot

From May to November, Dave Bridges and his family take being weekend warriors to heart.

The year is 1777 and a Marine Corporal with the Colonial Revolutionary forces is ready for battle. He is a patriot. A Revolutionary War hero……and a Beverage Department Manager at the Lebanon Co-op.

Dave Bridges, his wife, and five children serve as Revolutionary War reenactors, a hobby to which Dave has devoted much of his free time for more than seven years. Each weekend from May to November, he and his family dress in authentic garb and travel throughout the Eastern Seaboard, momentarily leaving the modern world for the romance and rebellion of Revolutionary War-era America.

"I grew up in Middlebury and used to ride my bike over to Mount Independence where there used to be a garrison," Dave says. "I absolutely loved it."

Later, as an adult, he visited the site again, this time with his family to view a reenactment battle. One visit was all it took. "We went to that one and we were hooked."

Dave and his family make their own uniforms, portraying a Marine unit during the year 1777. He says reenactments are not only living history lessons, but also a hobby that anyone of any age can enjoy. "It’s a real family-oriented outing. The kids, especially, are the best at it."

According to Dave, the units practice everything from parades to true battle simulations. And once they arrive at their weekend site, all modern luxuries dissolve into the 18th century lifestyle, all the way down to the cooking.

"It’s as close to real as you can get," he says. "I would recommend it to anyone. It’s like a fairytale."

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