Mike Slease has been a living history interpreter for 40 years. He is the founder and commanding officer of the Third Battalion Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot, “the Augusta Regiment.” The unit re-enacts French and Indian War events throughout Pennsylvania and New York, where many battles of that war took place in the years before the colonies became the United States.

He makes presentations at a number of local schools about the French and Indian War and on 18th-century civilian life and has spoken before many organizations about the state’s role in that conflict. He also has made presentations at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle and the Smithsonian Institution. With the Augusta Regiment, he also has been involved in re-enactments at Sunbury’s River Festival and Warrior Run-Fort Freeland Heritage Days.

He also has been active in the community as a member of the Milton Rotary Club and the Milton Planning Commission and through involvement in the Milton Harvest Festival parade.

Q: What is it about your community that you like the best?

A: “Quiet, very friendly small-town atmosphere like I grew up in. When I came to this area in 1971, Art Enterline (founder of Enterline’s Greenhouse in Milton) drove me through Montandon on a tour of my new ‘turf,’ and I was struck by Montandon’s similarity to my youthful home. I clearly recall thinking, ‘I like this place. I could live here!’ and now I do!”

Q: What is it about your community that you like least?

A: “Traffic at certain times of the day make traveling difficult.”

Q: How long have you lived there?

A: “One year here, 38 years in Milton proper.”

Q: How did you get involved in what you do?

A: “Interest in and study of the mid-18th century and finding out what went on in this Valley.”

Q: What are some of your most memorable moments doing what you do?

A: “Oh, my! Too many to pick one or two. They just keep coming!”

Q: How do you unwind after a particularly difficult day?