Roscoe Reenactor Keeps World War II Days Memories Alive as Midway Village Celebrates 30 Years
We’d have families come up — grandpa, son, grandson — and they’d start talking about what they experienced. And the family had never heard a word of it. It happens over and over again.
History doesn’t just live in books. Sometimes it breathes through the voices of the people who carry it, the hands that preserve it, and the hearts that refuse to let it fade. At Midway Village Museum’s 30th Annual WWII Days, that history comes alive — not as a performance, but as a promise.
Few embody that promise more than Bill Cresswell, a 78‑year‑old Air Force veteran who has been part of WWII Days for 27 of its 30 years. He is not the loudest reenactor, nor the flashiest. In fact, he jokes that when cameras appear, he usually disappears. But Cresswell is one of the event’s quiet pillars — a man whose devotion to preserving the stories of veterans has shaped the very soul of WWII Days.
And this year, as Midway Village celebrates three decades of one of the largest WWII reenactments in the nation, Cresswell’s story reminds us why this event matters.
“The reward is the stories.”
Cresswell’s journey began long before he ever donned a WWII uniform. His father served in the occupation of Japan, returning home with a rifle that Bill would later restore at age 15 — a piece of history that sparked a lifelong passion.
When he moved to Roscoe nearly 40 years ago, he met another history buff while running his home appliance repair business. Together, they founded the 2nd Infantry Division reenactor group, which still thrives nearly three decades later.
But Cresswell insists the real reward isn’t the battles, the uniforms, or the equipment.
It’s the conversations.
'We’d have families come up — grandpa, son, grandson — and they’d start talking about what they experienced. And the family had never heard a word of it. It happens over and over again.'
Veterans — WWII, Korea, Vietnam — open up to Cresswell and his fellow reenactors in ways they never have before. The stories are raw, emotional, sometimes painful. But they are real. And they are remembered.
A Living Classroom for a Generation Losing Touch with History
Cresswell worries that today’s students rarely get more than “two or three days” of WWII education in school.
“How can you cover World War II in two days? You can’t.”
That’s why WWII Days matters.
More than 550 students are already registered for school-day programming this year. Many will see authentic equipment, hear firsthand accounts, and walk through encampments that show what life was like for soldiers who slept in foxholes, marched through mud, and fought for freedoms we now take for granted.
Some kids arrive knowing more about weapons from video games than from textbooks. Cresswell laughs at that — but he also sees opportunity.
“If you have the potential to get somebody interested, that’s cool. Even if it’s a 7-year-old boy.”
A Community of Reenactors — and a Family of Friends
Cresswell no longer participates in the battles, but he remains a guiding voice — “the godfather of the unit,” as he puts it. He’s the one younger reenactors turn to for advice, perspective, and leadership.
He also hosts the group’s annual winter gathering — a February tradition where reenactors shake off cabin fever, share stories, and celebrate the friendships forged through history.
“We’re all good friends. Some stay at my house so they don’t have to drive after they party.”
It’s not just reenacting. It’s community.
Why WWII Days Has Thrived for 30 Years
Cresswell credits the event’s longevity to the dedication of a handful of organizers people who “bust their backs” to keep the event running smoothly and authentically.
He also praises the reenactors themselves:
“They relish being able to answer questions — whether it’s a seven‑year‑old boy or a 90‑year‑old woman.”
This passion has built an event unlike any other in the Midwest — one that draws 1,000 reenactors, 70-plus vintage vehicles, and thousands of spectators each year.
And this year, WWII Days makes history of its own with a period-accurate wedding between reenactors Sarah Valeika and Owen Swanson, who met through theater in high school and reconnected years later, when Swanson introduced Valeika to reenacting.
A Weekend of Immersive History
Visitors can expect:
- Narrated battles with pyrotechnics
- Woods skirmishes (limited to 250 spectators)
- Rockford Peaches reenactors
- Holocaust discussions
- USS Indianapolis presentations
- Camp Grant USO shows
- Vintage military vehicles
- Model airplane displays
- Girl Scout reenactors
- Food trucks and vendors
And of course — the reenactors themselves, ready to share stories, answer questions, and bring history to life.
A Legacy Worth Preserving
As Cresswell reflects on nearly three decades at Midway Village, he knows he won’t reenact forever. But he also knows the event will endure.
Because history endures when people care enough to tell it.
“Veterans appreciate what we do — to bring out what they did.”
This weekend, Midway Village honors that legacy not just through battles and displays, but through the voices of people like Cresswell, who keep the past alive so future generations can understand it.
WWII Days isn’t just an event.
It’s a living tribute.
For more information on WWII Days or Midway Village Museum, visit the museum’s website at midwayvillage.com.
Purchase tickets ahead of the event at midwayvillage.com/ww2-days-midway.html. Pre-booking woods skirmishes also is encouraged as space is limited. Parking is free.
Visitors also may purchase tickets in advance by calling 815-397-9112, or at the gate this weekend. Each ticket is good for entrance on either Saturday or Sunday. Attendees are welcome to bring camp chairs for battlefield seating.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the 2nd Infantry Division reenactor group, contact Rod Hammerand at 563-495-5297 or Email: rhammer2003@hotmail.com. Check them out on Facebook HERE.
Schedule of Activities:
Please note that for safety reasons in the woods area, there is a limited audience availability of 250 people per woods skirmish.
Saturday, Sept. 27:
- 10 a.m. WWII Days opens
- 10:30 a.m. Ryan Woodward - Baseball at Manzanar
- 10:45 a.m. Gen. George S. Patton briefing
- 11 a.m. Woods skirmish
- 11:30 a.m. Rock Valley RC Flyers aerial display
- Noon Woods skirmish
- 12:15 p.m. Patton briefing
- 12:30 p.m. Barbara Brown & Goldie Pekarsky - Life after the Holocaust & My Brother’s Story
- 12:30 p.m. Period wedding
- 1 p.m. Pick a Bouquet! Flowers for your Sweetheart
- 2 p.m. Battle on the Main Battlefield
- 3 p.m. Camp Grant USO Show with Summer Kwai and Steve Koerber
- 3 p.m. Ed Larson - USS Indianapolis, A Local Story: Murphy & Countryman
- 4:30 p.m. Battle on the Main Battlefield
- 5 p.m. WWII Days closes for the day
Sunday, Sept. 26:
- 9 a.m. WWII Days opens
- 9:30 a.m. Gen. George S. Patton briefing
- 10 a.m. Ryan Woodward - Baseball at Manzanar
- 10 a.m. Woods skirmish
- 10:30 a.m. Rock Valley RC Flyers aerial display
- 10:45 a.m. Woods skirmish
- 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Girl Scout reenactors
- 11:15 a.m. Camp Grant USO Show with Summer Kwai and Steve Koerber
- 11:30 a.m. Ed Larson - USS Indianapolis, A Local Story: Murphy & Countryman
- Noon Woods skirmish
- Noon-2 p.m. Meet the Rockford Peaches
- 12:15 p.m. Woods skirmish
- 1 p.m. Barbara Brown & Goldie Pekarsky - Life after the Holocaust & My Brother’s Story
- 1 p.m. Camp Grant USO Show with Summer Kwai and Steve Koerber
- 2:30 p.m. Battle on the Main Battlefield
- 3 p.m. WWII Days closes
