Frenchman's Frolic
Sat Oct 19 9:00 am, Macktown Living History 2221 Freeport Road Rockton IL, 61072
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
ADMISSION IS FREE
Event is open to the public.
Macktown was Winnebago County's earliest settlement, the home of Stephen Mack and Hononegah. This is your year to wander through the pre-1850s era encampment of participants in period clothing. At the oldest settlement of Winnebago County, old Macktown, you are likely to see pioneers, trappers, traders, voyageurs, and native Americans milling around the grounds, pursuing everyday activities that people in the day would have done during this end of the season gathering: visiting, cooking outdoors, eating in the fresh air, playing games, having long gun black powder shooting matches, throwing hawks (hatchets), preparing animal skins for trading, making twine from dried nettle, sewing, mending, carving. You'll see a two-man saw, log cabin building (kids too), and dowel making, and many presenters ready to teach. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable look back to a time when folks truly lived day to day, thankful for the bounty the earth provided, thankful for health to enjoy the company of others, and thankful for the crisp sunny fall weather.
Experience a pre-1850s rendezvous camp, featuring:
- Blacksmithing
- Black Powder Shooting
- Rope Making & Period Crafts
- Educational Workshops
- The History of Dueling
- and much more!
