"I have been a re-enactor my entire life," said Erin Myers, who joined her parents as a Revolutionary War re-enactor at the time she was born. Her father later began taking part in re-enactments of events of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.

As a teenager, Myers became interested in swing dance and attending World War II events for fun. "I started collecting things from that time period with no intention of doing anything with them except using them for decor," recalled Myers. But then she started accompanying her father to historical societies and the Reading Air Show, taking along her collection to show attendees and teach them about World War II.

Myers said there were not a lot of woman re-enactors for World War II, and no one was doing an impression of the woman ordnance worker, better known as Rosie the Riveter. Myers was inspired. "It was a large part of the war, but it's underrated," she said. "It's not something we talk about as much as we talk about what was going on overseas."

The result was that Myers became a re-enactor and educator, bringing Rosie the Riveter to life and educating those she meets about the role of women who replaced men in factories when duty called. Myers will join other re-enactors at the second Lititz Historical Foundation World War II Day event, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Mary Oehme Gardens, located behind the Lititz Historical Society at 137 E. Main St., Lititz. The free event will also include authentic World War II-era displays and artifacts; items that were once owned, used, or worn by the soldiers who served; and "The American Home Front," a full-size, room-by-room walk-through of a typical 1940s home.

To become a Rosie impersonator, Myers began collecting more artifacts and purchasing clothing suitable for a costume. "It's been more than 15 years now, and it has really evolved," said Myers, who has a vintage bike she sometimes rides at re-enactments. At the Lititz event, she plans to give short presentations about contributions women made during the war and to show items she will bring. She has authentic items that people can look at and even touch, along with a few reproduction items. Among these are toiletry items like makeup and nail polish remover. "People love comparing what they know today versus what they had back then," said Myers. She also will bring tools that a woman ordnance worker would use, including a welding helmet, a drill, and a soldering gun.

Myers noted that one of the women she will present alongside does a nurse impression. "She has a small footlocker with items from the nursing field," said Myers, who said that the footlocker, which includes photos and a uniform, was donated by a family in Lititz. The items belonged to a woman who was a member of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). The program, a division of the U.S. Navy, was created in 1942 by President Franklin Roosevelt.

More information about the foundation may be found at https://lititzhistoricalfoundation.com or by searching for "Lititz Historical Foundation" on Facebook.