Alas, historical re-enacting gets discouraging when there is not much interest forthcoming from historical venues. There is not much appreciation in the form of recompense or monetary assistance.
Volunteerism wears off pretty quickly when it entails lengthy drives. Here in Gold Rush country (where I live), we have done events with as many as 15 re-enactors over a 10 day period from as far away as the American Gulf Islands. When you consider that the venue site is a 12 hour drive from the US border (AFTER a lengthy ferry ride), and some coming from Vancouver Island, it is a monumental task to assemble and organize an event.
We had a hard core group that eventually wore out. "Rattle Snake Jack", my wife and I were the only ones who crossed over from re-enacting to CAS because we were into it before we became re-enactors. Back in the day, they were one in the same for us - living, cooking, sleeping under canvas under all weather conditions.
It was fun, but eventually the burn out factor caused folks to drift away. Now I wear the uniform for dinner at CAS events only.