By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- There should be a little something for everyone at this weekend's Fort St. Joseph Rendezvous.
The event takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Riverfront Park in Niles, near the dam.
Carol Bainbridge, Fort St. Joseph Museum director, said voyageurs and their canoes will be on the river during the event.
River pirate skirmishes, canon and musket demonstrations, military drills, searches for contraband and military deserters will add to the atmosphere, she said.
A re-enactment of "To Wish Him Good Morning:" The 1763 attack at Fort St. Joseph during Pontiac's uprising, however, will be among the rendezvous' highlights, she said.
Bainbridge said the "To Wish Him Good Morning" reenactment is scheduled for Saturday only.
Rendezvous visitors will also be able to watch craftsmen working their trade, hear period music and eat period food.
Several voyageurs and story tellers will perform at the rendezvous, also.
Bainbridge said one of them is Genot Picor, a French voyageur, who will present French and Indian stories and song from the Great Lakes.
Pere Gravier will also be there to tell about the role of a Jesuit priest at Fort St. Joseph, she said.
Bainbridge, however, said this year's rendezvous isn't as big as past rendezvous.
She said the organizers have tightened up the time frame of the event and are requiring more of re-enactors than before.
That ensures visitors will have a quality experience, she said.
Bainbridge said this year's rendezvous will have about 40 different camps.
She also said those who wish to buy artifacts from the Fort St. Joseph time period can be sure era replicas sold at the rendezvous are authentic.
Based on last year's turn out, Bainbridge is expecting a good turn out.
Saturday's events:
Sunday's events:
For directions and more information, call Carol Bainbridge on: (269) 683 4702.