As for asking a local group, well, it seems that this sort of question can be a bit of a religious issue, if you know what I mean when I say that, and I am reluctant to bring it up for that reason.
Actually, I'm a bit confused by this statement; reenactment units/groups generally are not "religious groups", they are more like clubs and societies centered around a particular hobby.

For example, the Society of the Sealed Knot in the UK is for English Civil War (ECW) reenactors.

Todd