September 2015
Pere Marquette Rendezvous
9/12/2015 -

Visitors can step back in time, to the days when frontier fur trappers met with fur traders and buyers, during this reenactment festival at Pere Marquette State Park.

The third annual Pere Marquette State Park Rendezvous will be a traditional Pre-1840 Rendezvous, with buckskinned reenactors portraying primitive traders and campers.

The public is invited and admission is free.

 

Trade Tent Fee: $25.00

Blanket Trader will be: $15.00 (8x8 blanket)

Wood, shower, bathrooms, and water will be available

 

Black Powder shoot: $20.00 blanket prize

Long Bow shoot: $20.00 blanket prize

Tomahawk Throw: event scheduled

Round Robin, Pot Luck, and a Dance on Saturday night

 

Public/RV camping, please RSVP by calling Park office at 618-786-3323

 

Saturday 10:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.

Sunday 10:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.

 

Demonstration and Activities

 

Raising of the Colors - flag raising ceremony

Tomahawk Toss - throwing for tomahawks for skill, fun and accuracy

Black Powder Rifle shoot - smooth bore rifle, breech loading, demonstrations.

Skill and accuracy and how they provided table fair and security for settlers

Voyager Canoe - a 34 foot Montreal Canoe. Living history of how early settlers

transported goods for trade and transportation of goods.  You will have an opportunity

to paddle this piece of history.

Blacksmith - iron forging and “chinking” sounds for manufacturing early settlement tools

Primitive Surveying - learn how the early surveyors mapped and navigated and homestead

ownership of land

Archery - Long bow (recurve). Learn how “Osage Orange” wood was carved and used to

develop hunting devices

Fire Starting - one important resource used for cooking, light and safety.  Flint/steel

demonstrations, and fire pistons were one of the must have tools for survival

Fur Tanner/Trapping - Beaver was one of the most important commodities and reason for

settling along the Illinois River Basin.  The basis for trade and used for clothing and trade

Rope Maker - come learn how basic threads were woven into a strong device.  Make your own

and spin the wheel

Candy Cannon - kids will have an opportunity to retrieve and satisfy their sweet tooth thru

some of today’s delights, once launched thru the Candy Cannon

Lewis and Clark - Illinois Historic Preservation will have Lewis and Clark reenactors telling the

story of Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark

Cannon Demonstrations - Large bore, lead balls and sonic booms; come and see the smoke, the

challenges faced for early infantry

Folk Music - Rowdy Ol’ River Music Saturday 1 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.  String

instruments are strummin’

For more information:
Monica Brackman
(618) 786-2331