Sept. 16, 2005

Mackinaw City, Mich. - Join 1770s fur traders, soldiers, and other costumed interpreters as they prepare for winter during Colonial Harvest Weekend Sept. 24-25 at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City.  Guests will watch villagers harvest gardens and interact with the colonials during food preservation, cooking and wood chopping demonstrations.

"There's something for the entire family this weekend as Colonial Michilimackinac celebrates its harvest preparations," said Interpretation Supervisor Jeff Dykehouse. "We will harvest crops from the gardens, including radishes, onions, squash and potatoes, and prepare colonial foods like venison stew and wild turkey."

The weekend event will also feature up to 10 soldiers from the King's 8th Regiment re-enactors. The re-enactors supplement Colonial Michilimackinac troops as they demonstrate musket and cannon firings. The group, with members from Michigan, Ohio, New York, Canada and Pennsylvania, reenacts the British King's 8th Regiment that was stationed in the Great Lakes region from 1768 to 1785, including at Fort Michilimackinac.

"This is a great group of re-enactors for Colonial Michilimackinac, because they perfectly match the time period to which the fort is restored," said Dykehouse.

Approximately eight members at a time spend the night in the reconstructed National Historic Landmark fort. During admission hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the re-enactors join the regular MSHP Redcoat staff in musket and cannon firing demonstrations, colonial life tours and lively interaction with guests. All events are included with Colonial Michilimackinac admission - $9.50 for adults, $6 for youth ages 6-17, and free for children 5 and under.

Colonial Michilimackinac is a reconstructed 1715 French fur-trading village and military outpost, later occupied by British military and traders. Today the fort features re-enactments from the British 1770s occupation/American Revolution era. Colonial Michilimackinac includes the nation's longest archaeological dig and the interactive "Treasures from the Sand" exhibit, with hundreds of original artifacts.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in Northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac region, is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. The sites include Fort Mackinac, Historic Downtown and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. The sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information is available on the Web at www.mackinacparks.com and by phone at  (231) 436-4100.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.