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Macktown Frenchman’s Frolic Oct. 19 & 20 By Janine Pumilia
M
acktown Living History will stage one of its two largest annual events on Oct. 19 & 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Although Frenchman’s Frolic, a pre-1850s Rendezvous Camp, is geared for reenactors, the public is welcome to come and observe the goings-on at no charge. The other major event, called The Gathering, takes place in early summer and is focused on demonstrating aspects of 1800s settler life to the public. “Most of the reenactors who come to Frenchman’s Frolic are pretty knowledgeable about this time period and are happy to chat and interact with the public,” says Mike Bost, event founder/coordinator and vice president of the Macktown Living History Board of Directors. Reenactors come from a four-state area and set up their camp on the beautiful Macktown Living History site at the
confluence of the Rock and Pecatonica Rivers, 2221 Freeport Road in Rockton. They enjoy shooting black powder guns, throwing tomahawks, making period crafts and competing with one another in games and contests. The public is welcome to join them for seminars like “The ‘49ers,” about the fortune-seekers who pushed west in the late 1840s. Also, a presenter will share the adventures of “Mad Anne” Baily, a real-life scout and spy who took part in Colonial American Indian Wars. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, including period drinks like sarsaparilla (root beer) and cream soda. Bost founded and named the event some 30 years ago. He says “Frenchman’s Frolic” is a nod to the French-Canadian voyageur fur traders who plied our rivers in the 1700s and early 1800s.
“‘Frolic’ is a French word that just means social gathering,” says Bost, whose own ancestry is French. “The hunters and trappers would rendezvous periodically to trade news and goods, and to drink and socialize with each other.”
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