Cheri Fry

            Cheri lives in a very small town in central Illinois, that most people have never heard of. Frederick's population is around 150.  She attended Western Illinois University, and graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology and Telecommunications specializing in Photography and Graphic Design. After graduating she moved to Springfield, IL where she spent two years.  She discovered living in a city was not for her, and in 1997 changed jobs and moved back to the same small town where she was raised.  Cheri works at Bound To Stay Bound Books in Jacksonville, IL were she is a Graphic Designer/Marketing person.  She is one of those fortunate people who likes what she does for a living, and can see herself remaining at this job indefinitely.

            Cheri has always shown an interest in sewing and designing clothing. From the flashy clogging outfits she wore as a child to theatre class sewing projects, she was always interested in the clothing. Cheri is a born multi-tasker and has never been one to have just one project open at a time, there's ususally two open with at least five or six more on the drawing board. 

            Cheri's first attempt at historical reenacting was in 1997. She became involved with Indian PowWows.  After attending her first to check it out, she decided to try being a "Fancy Shawl Dancer". She had others help her to know how to design her regalia and made her first costume.  At the next PowWow she joined in the fun of dancing outdoors to drums and flute music. Cheri went to a few PowWows in the Central Illinois area, but felt something was missing.

            In 1998 Cheri met three men who changed her life. They introduced her to "The Tombstone Way of Life". Wild West reenactments in Tombstone, Arizona. 1880s to be exact.  (Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, etc.)  They saw that spark of something special in her, and viola! "KATE" was born. (Kate was Doc Holiday's girlfriend).  Her first trip to Tombstone was unforgettable.  She finally had found that piece that had been missing.  Creating dresses was fun, but to be completely immersed in the time was exactly what she had been looking for.  Cheri creates unique Victorian bustle dresses and takes pride in her appearance. She makes sure to have something new at each event, taking care that no one else will have a dress that looks like hers.  Staying within Victorian standards with that special touch of the wild west, she takes pride in recreating two characters; Big Nose Kate as well as Miss Lillian Russell.  Everyone in Tombstone calls her "KATE".  If you're ever in Tombstone, check out "Big Nose Kate's Saloon" you'll find several photos of her hanging on the walls.

            Cheri started researching Civil War Reenacting in 2003.  She found the difference between a proper young single lady from the East and her wild west characters astonishing.  Going back 15-20 years made a huge difference in dress designs too, and she decided she was up for a new challenge. No more low necklines or Victorian bustles and trains. Hello hoop skirts and high necklines.  She researched the era and dresses for a year before ever making her first dress. Many books and CDVs later, she started to pick up on repeating patterns and fabric choices.  Her biggest problem was that there was so much information out there,  everyone had their own opinions, and opinions varied from book to book.  She attended a few Civil War Reenactments, but after a few fashion shows found that even the reenactors had several opinions of their own. No two fashion shows gave the same information, and she became more confused than ever.  Her luck changed when she picked up a copy of Who Wore What by Juanita Leish.  Who Wore What had gathered all the information she was trying to do on her own, but Juanita's research was much more thorough.  She put away all the other books and only kept that one out as a reference guide, and that's when the real fun started because she now had answers to her questions about "the look." She just had to focus on the "how to properly put it all together"  and remain true to the time period to the best of her ability. Her impression and sewing techniques are ever improving, and ever changing as she continues to sew dress after dress.

            Cheri has not picked a first person character to portray at the Civil War events, although Antonia Ford, Kate Chase, and an earlier version of Lillian Russell are all being researched for their intriguing characters. And she is also researching sporting houses.

            Clothing wise you may see her in an wide array from a simple cotton day dress to a silk day dress with all the trimmings.  But her love will always remain in the intricacies of Ball Gowns.  Period correct hairstyles are also close to her heart. Even though it takes more time,she puts forth the effort to put in banana curls for a ball using pomade and her own hair. In the end she finds it's all well worth the extra effort.

            Cheri attends 8-10 Civil War events per year.  Her event circle goes from Jacksonville, IL, to Fort Wayne, IN, to Greenbush, WI, to Keokuk, IA.   And she still flies to Arizona to continue her Tombstone ways.

            Sewing is her passion, and stress reliever, and her wardrobe will remain ever growing, or at least until her closet completely explodes.

Return to board list