Hello, I’m Wylin Tjoelker and I would like to welcome you to the NCRA (The Northwest Colonial Reenactors Association). 
We are pleased to make your acquaintance. It is my privilege to serve as Secretary, photographer and webmaster for our group.
As a group of 18th century (American Revolutionary War) history buffs, outdoors-men, and flintlock black-powder marksmen, 
along with similarly interested wives, children, 
and grandchildren,
we welcome all interested persons to peruse the pages of this website to see if they might like to join us on some of our amazing adventures 
and fabulous get-togethers.
While our members hale from several western states, our core group, as well as our events, take place in various locations within Washington State.
We are not a very regimented group. Although we make a lot of effort at our events to look as period accurate as possible,
and though we take considerable pleasure in playing our personas to the max, 
the thing that distinguishes us the most, is our genuine friendships with each other. 
We are a lot like one big extended family (without the in-law issues).
We are also very family, parent, and kid friendly. 
I value the fact that my little family and I have not encountered any significant problem with coarse language or profanity while with this group, 
nor have we encountered any alcohol induced disorderly rowdiness. In short, the adults in our group behave like, well, adults! 
And the kids are free to just be kids 
(within reason of course, as all the parents help each other to keep the kids in line and safe from harm).
Blessedly, we are also free of overly picky people who might give our new reenactors a hard time. Instead, our long experienced veterans take pleasure in going out of their way to help new people to get set up with a good 18th century kit, 
often lending them clothing and equipment and always being willing to provide preciously valuable insight and advice.
Where serious regimentation is practiced, is in areas involving safety. Our shoots are clearly organized and well executed. (they are also incredibly good fun). 
Our range master, Mark Curtis, is a serious leader in his field and he is always respected by all. He is also a really great guy and everyone likes him. 
Our group is made up mainly of very seasoned marksmen of long experience, 
and new people are routinely treated to a generous cornucopia of black-powder firearms knowledge and advanced skill training.
Our group is also privileged to have among us an expert canoeist, David Rieve, 
who supplies us with many canoes so we can enjoy fantastic canoe trek excursions on the mysterious rivers near our camps. 
Here again, safety is invariably practiced and life jackets are worn by all.
Our group even makes serious investments in state of the art camp sanitation and clean water supply. Fire safety is also carefully adhered to. Our people are even safe with their food (I don’t recall anyone ever getting sick).
So, when it comes to important issues like safety, our group is seriously careful about that. The reason for this is simple. We care about each other. If one of us were to get hurt, it would feel like all of us got hurt. We’re just close like that, a lot like family.
Our women folk have good times visiting each others camps and sharing 18th century skills with each other. 
One of our women, Linda Curtis, puts on historically accurate teas for the whole group at our annual Colonial Encampment. 
They also do teas for just the kids. 
Sometimes we even have “High Teas” that are organized as events in themselves.
One of the valuable things about our group’s events is all the time we have to just sit and relax. 
Our times visiting around the fireside
or at the tables, in the meeting tent by candle light, are memorable for their fun, fellowship and friendship. 
Our children seem to really enjoy the opportunity to camp in tents with their parents.
Our kids always look forward anxiously to our events so they can see their friends again and play all kinds of colonial games together, 
and just be, well, kids! 
Us adults get to enjoy sitting and watching them and are much entertained by their escapades.
At our annual CE (Colonial Encampment), at our fantastic and secluded location on the mysterious Black River in Rochester Washington, 
many of our members present seminars on fascinating 18th century topics and methods of doing things. 
They put a lot of work into these presentations 
and they are always well received by all of us who are anxious to learn something new and valuable.
We also conduct our eagerly looked forward to raffles, in which, for the small price of some $1 tickets, adults
and kids 
have a chance to choose some superb 18th century items from the prize blanket.
Our Colonial Encampments always feature a potluck 
in which all the individual camps contribute something historically fantastic! 
It’s a dining experience you will never forget.
Another thing that I really like about our group is the way it networks with other similar 18th century reenactment groups like the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of Militia. 
We often attend each others events and this really helps to support everyone who shares the love of this fantastic hobby.
Our group also gets together in the fall or around Christmas time for an 18th century banquet put on either by our group or by the 2nd Connecticut. These are always great times of fun and fellowship, 
and the food 
can be really quite amazing! 
We often enjoy 18th century dancing too!
To sum it all up I would say that our group is made up of kind, friendly, down to earth, lovely people 
who value our country’s heritage 
and who feel connected with our past.
They are all friends, and frankly, I love them. 
I think you will too.
Welcome dear friend!
Wylin Tjoelker NCRA Secretary
Here is a link to our NCRA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/136052949792662/
Great job Wylin!
As its first stand alone festival, the d annual Northwest Colonial Festival was a great success. With more than 60 reenactors and 1600 attendees over the 4 day event, this year s festival was also a lot of fun! The weather was perfect and smiling faces were seen everywhere on the 20 acre oceanfront estate.
Great way to welcome new members to the group. Good choice of pictures for people and past events. Covers most of the activities we’ve done in the past and can improve upon in the future. I thought we were going to keep that high tea a secret. Now we have to invite everybody.
What a pleasant surprise. Nice job Wylin. Thank you.
Your page makes everything look wonderful, do you have events reachable from the Willamette Valley?
Greetings Cynthia!
Our main Annual event – our Colonial Encampment, is one of the closest to you. It is held in a fantastic secluded location on the Black River in Rochester Washington (south of Olympia) Check the “Upcoming Events” tab for more complete information about it. Hope you can make it and we look forward to meeting you 🙂
Excellent website, Wylin! I like the incorporation of character values. Beautiful pictures.
This is a great looking group, it would be nice if I could get up there, and have a visit with all of you, I enjoyed your pictures, my best to all of you, Captain Mad Jack, Morgans Rifle Company.
We would be glad to meet you Captain! By all means come and visit us sometime 😉
Thanks Jack! 🙂
Well done! Huzzah!
Good Afternoon Wylin,
I loved the pictures. I am the Idaho State Historian for the Children of the American Revolution Society. I would like to know where you are located. I now live in Oregon, but travel back and forth to Idaho. I would like the children to understand the history and how people lived during the Revolutionary War time period.
Thank you,
Lorri Williams
Greetings Lori,
Most of our people are in Washington State and our main annual event (our Colonial Encampment) is held in a beautiful secluded location on the Black River near Rochester Washington south of Olympia. Check our “Upcoming Events” tab on the website for details. We look forward to meeting you. 🙂
I really enjoyed talking to members of your group at the NW Colonial Festival in Port Angeles and am looking into ways to share my spinning and fiber knowledge to a few who seemed interested! I am interested in historic preservation so want to pass it on before I can’t do it any more.
Greetings Lady Jane!
We were most edified by your fascinating and valuable knowledge about all things concerning flax and linen. I know all of our members would love to learn more about this very important part of 18th century life. We would love to have you at one of our events. Alternatively, might you have some web links about flax and linen that you could share with us? 🙂
I loved coming to the Rochester Colonial Encampment and look forward to more events! I don’t have a list of web links, but I might come up with one. One of my favorite resources is the “Big Book of Flax” by Christian and Johannes Zinzendorf. They also used to sell good flax for historically accurate spinning.
Lady Jane! It was so fantastic to see you at our recent Colonial Encampment! Your seminar on Spinning and on all things flax was truly one of the most interesting and informative seminars we have ever been privileged
to attend! We all hope to see you again at any of our future events 😉
I belong to a mountain man group, the Barlow Trail Long Rifles, but I would prefer the colonial period. My ancestors fought in the Ulster County (NY) Militia in the F&I War and the War of Independence, and I wear appropriately colonial clothing. I carry an early colonial flintlock rifle. I can also be “modern,” wearing outfits of the fur trade period. As far as I know, there are no colonial reenactors in Oregon, and if there is a colonial group in Oregon I would like to contact them. Your group looks like a good fit, and I would like to know where you are located and your contact information.
Thanks,
Ron Cronin
Greetings Mr. Cronin,
You sound like a good fit to us as well. We are not aware of a colonial group in Oregon. Our main annual event takes place in Rochester WA south of Olympia, so it’s not to far from Oregon and it’s before you run into the big city traffic on the freeway. For our contact information here is a link to our “Contact Us” tab on our website: http://ncra-colonial.com/index.php/contact-us/
All the best to you, and we will much look forward to seeing you sometime,
Wylin
Hello Ron, Check our “Contacts” Page. Our main Event (CE) takes place in Rochester south of Olympia Washington.
I just stumbled across you. I am down in Oregon. I was wondering what years does your group consider “period”? Also, I’m seeing a few Oregon folks. I wonder if there is a chapter going down her or if there has been enough interest to get one going?
Love your site! You may see me next year at one of your happenings.
We are much pleased to make your acquaintance Christine. We would love to see you at one of our upcoming events. I am not aware of a colonial group in Oregon but we do get that question from Oregonians more and more lately. The time period we represent is from about 1740 to 1783 – American War for Independence. 🙂
As its first stand alone festival, the d annual Northwest Colonial Festival was a great success. With more than 60 reenactors and 1600 attendees over the 4 day event, this year s festival was also a lot of fun! The weather was perfect and smiling faces were seen everywhere on the 20 acre oceanfront estate.
great blog and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.|
Thanks so much Mr. Terbush! Please check back again as we post new photos to the album after events, and new events are posted on our “Upcoming Events” tab 🙂
wonderful site.
Thanks so much! We love to share our lovely group with our fellow colonials 😉
Wylin, good have met you and your family at Rebels and Redcoats in Arizona. Feel free to contact me anytime for discussion on flint smithing rifles.
Lord bless you
Dick Ashford
a.k.a. Jacob Dickert gunsmith and general repairs
Hello Mr. Ashford! Great to hear from you again! I benefited much from your experienced knowledge about black powder firearms and I look forward to conversing with you again sometime this year at an upcoming event 🙂
I met several of your members through the WPS events and would like to know more about your group and the events you hold each year!
Hi Kimala, Check out our newly updated Upcoming Events page 🙂
TO WHOM; I HAVE A COMPLETE 1776 COLONIAL SOLDIER UNIFORM,,every thing except foot wear, all new [never worn]. except coat and hat. COAT;blue with red lapel,SIZE; waist 34/36 i was 6ft. 1 inch tall ,coat size 48/50 ? i want to sell this as complete and will take offers————– i live in snohomish wa. can meet or deliver as needed