Photo by Deb Gau Oliver and Cooper Stern got an up-close chance to see what WWII soldiers’ gear was like, during “Reenactment Day” at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum near Granite Falls. Reenactor Bob Leininger had the boys try on a beret like those worn by the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during WWII.

GRANITE FALLS — Historic aircraft weren’t the only draw at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum on Saturday. Visitors at a “Reenactment Day” event got a close-up look at what life was like for soldiers during World War II.

“This is living history,” said Tracy resident Ron Coyle, who was one of the visitors attending the event. It was meaningful for people to be able to see that history, he said.

Groups of WWII reenactors from Minnesota, South Dakota and beyond were at the Fagen Fighters Museum this weekend. The groups brought WWII-era vehicles, tents and artifacts, and interacted with museum visitors throughout the day Saturday. The event also included a history presentation, and fly-overs by WWII aircraft.

The reenactors at the event portrayed soldiers with different specializations, from medics to paratroopers.

“I like to bring history alive,” said Brandon Strand, an Eagan resident and one of the reenactors at the event. In real life, Strand served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and in the National Guard, before joing a group of WWII reenactors.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of people were gathered around Strand as he talked about how WWII paratroopers’ gear worked. One of the visitors, Jordan Stattelman, got a chance to try on a parachute harness.

Jordan’s mom Chelsy Stattelman said Jordan was interested in military history. For Chelsy, visiting the Reenactment Day brought back memories of her grandfather, who served in WWII. “We recorded and listened to a lot of his stories,” Stattelman said. Being at the reenactment event was a little like stepping into those stories, she said.

In addition to U.S. soldiers, some reenactors at the museum were portraying members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. The battalion was attached to the British 6th Airborne Division during WWII, and took part in the D-Day invasion.

“I like to do stuff people don’t see too often,” said Bob Leininger, a reenactor from Cottage Grove.

“Most of the time, people don’t know Canada was in World War II,”said reenactor Jason Vickers. He said being a reenactor made him realize, “We need to get the message out.”

Some of the artifacts in the Parachute Battalion’s display originally belonged to Andy Anderson, a Canadian WWII veteran Leininger had corresponded with. Leininger and Vickers said it was good to be able to preserve and share the stories of veterans like Anderson.

Getting to meet and talk with people, including veterans, was one of the things Strand enjoyed about being a reenactor.

“I love to get the stories from older generations,” Strand said. “I hope to pass them on to the young kids.”