‘Custer’s Last Interview’ event to be held June 27 in Sandwich

SANDWICH – Gen. George A. Custer is both famous and infamous, often evaluated by movies and his death at the Battle of Bighorn.

An upcoming event will educate attendees about the “real Custer:” his early life, family, education, interests, life on the Hudson River at West Point and military life.

The event, “Custer’s Last Interview,” will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad St. in Sandwich.

During the event, Steve Alexander of Monroe, Michigan, will portray Custer and Steve Dancey of Mendota will portray a Chicago Tribune reporter. The event will recreate an interview that may have taken place in Chicago as Custer traveled back to his unit at Ft. Abraham Lincoln in North Dakota following his testimony in Washington D.C. regarding the mistreatment of Native Americans. The audience will be able to have their questions about Custer answered by Alexander during the event.

The event is free, with donations accepted for Equine Dreams, a nonprofit organization in Newark that provides therapeutic equine assisted activities to children and adults with special needs. A horse, portraying a cavalry horse, will be outside the opera house before the show to welcome guests.

A period dinner with Custer and his staff will follow the event. It will be held at the Sandwich Party Lodge, 1312 E. Church St. in Sandwich. Reservations are required for the dinner and can be made by calling 815-970-0573.

Alexander has been described as a man who “knows Custer better than Custer would know himself.” Alexander has reprised the role of George Custer for more than 30 years. His portrayals have been included in several programs on A&E, The History Channel, CNN and a number of documentaries. For the past several years, he has portrayed Custer in re-enactments in Montana and Pennsylvania. Alexander and his wife, Sandy, live in and have historically restored Custer’s home in Monroe, Michigan.

Dancey, a retired Master Sergeant of the Illinois State Police, is an avid historian of Native American life and a volunteer guide at the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana. Dancey also has been a frequent guest on historical documentaries. Most recently, he was involved with a detailed film on the life and times of “Wild Bill” Hickok.

Event facilitator Rick Olson described the event as “a living portrayal of history.”

“It’s an opportunity for people to hear the real history of Gen. Custer and to ask him questions,” he said.