GRAFTON - Want to know what it was like 340 years ago when French Canadian explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were last in the neighborhood? At Pere Marquette State Park you can see skilled artisans, dressed in period clothing, make rope, fashion tools from wood and iron, tan fur and survey land all within the backdrop of a frontier camp.
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This is the third annual Rendezvous and Park Superintendent Chris Hespen said the festival grows larger every year, he expects to surpass the 2,200 visitors the event attracted in 2014.
Watch demonstrations in cannon shooting and tomahawk throwing, listen to folk music and eat frontier food at this family friendly event. There will also be long-bow and black powder shooting contests.
You can climb into and paddle a 34-foot Montreal canoe just like the early settlers used for transportation and transport of goods.
The festival runs from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday.
Across the street at Pere Marquette Lodge enjoyed a Wine Club Get Together & Tasting until 5:00pm on Saturday. The monthly event features free wine tasting and free appetizers for Mary Michelle Wine Club Members. New Members can join by paying a one-time $20 fee and will receive a complementary Pere Marquette Lodge Wine Glass filled with their choice of Mary Michelle or Illinois Cellar Wines. Wine Club Members also receive 10 percent off lodging, dining, gift shop purchases and cases of wine purchased at Pere Marquette Lodge.
