Forest City Stockade Rendezvous

The 43rd annual Forest City Stockade Rendezvous will be this Saturday and Sunday from 10-to-5 each day. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under.

Mike McGhee says they are observing the 50th anniversary of the Stockade this year as it was reconstructed in 1976. He says it will be different this year as long-time Stockade promoter Bob Hermann passed away earlier this year, but a lot of volunteers have stepped up.

McGhee says they will have the same foods that they’ve had for years, along with numerous pioneer crafts and demonstrations. He says the fur trade encampment will be set up along the east side of the Stockade, and a birch bark canoe builder will be there on Sunday.

Dick Kelly says the Forest City Stockade Rendezvous is a great way to get away from electronics for a while and see what life was like in the 1800s. He says there is a tepee set up right in front of the Stockade and it was a popular attraction during school tours this spring.

Kelly says the tepee is designed with just a few poles and canvas and a fire in the middle to create updraft which is an amazing feat of engineering. He says he and his family work at the hot dog stand and usually don’t get to see much else or see the other volunteers so sometimes the only time the volunteers see each other is at their annual meeting. For more details about the Rendezvous, go to www.forestcitystockade.org.