Roasting Ducks For Lunch

Just as there are different kinds of re-enactors, there are different kinds of events to attend as re-enactors. For La Compagnie, many of our summer events fall into the category of community celebrations, heritage days or festivals with us and out “portable fur trade museum” providing a healthy dose of hands-on history.

Our first two events of this season both fit neatly into this category. On Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (May 23), we were set-up outside the Oliver Faribault cabin at The Landing – Minnesota River Heritage Park in Shakopee. We had all the goods and gear of a successful fur trader along the St. Peter’s River, circa 1845, including a North-sized canoe, piles of furs and a wide array of trade goods. There were four of us rather colorful characters.

On Saturday, June 20, a slightly different quartet of us had virtually the same set-up, the same assortment of goods, furs and canoe. We had a few more canoe paddles and coffee brewing over the fire instead of wild ducks roasting but the main difference was the setting: Faribault’s downtown Central Park, just behind a row of fried food vendors.

Which Fur Is Which?

The threatening weather slowed down the pace of both events . . . the visitors came out, but came in fits and starts. Still, we had a wonderful time! We were never terribly busy, never feared that our voices would give out, never worried that the event would just fizzle into nothingness. Instead we had long, enjoyable conversations with visitors.  Conversations usually started with long, strange looks. Many people stared and kept walking. But once they stopped, once they got close, young and old alike had questions to ask and stories to tell. Of course we talked about the fur trade and the impact the Faribault family had on the history of both locations, but we also compared the past with the present. We talked about gender roles, gun control, ethnic diversity, cultural differences and awareness. We talked business and economics, cooking and social conflicts, religion and wars, natural history and conservation. It was all marvelous fun!

Years ago, I took my nephew with me to something my folk dance group called a “dance out,” essentially holding a rehearsal in a public place, wearing full kit.  Robbie, being the ever cool, almost teenager, seemed bored by the whole experience. Once we got home, the real story came out . . . “Aunt Jacki, aren’t you embarrassed to make a fool of yourself in public?”  My answer then is the same one I give after spending a day dressed in funny clothes, whether in downtown Faribault or in the shade of Oliver Faribault’s cabin . . . if hanging out with people I respect and enjoy being with is making a fool of myself, if meeting new people and hearing their stories is embarrassing, or if talking about history is something that shouldn’t be done in public, then sign me up for the next event!

Thanks to all the visitors who stopped and talked to us at the Landing and to all the people who wandered through Faribault’s Central Park and stopped to talk . . . you make this “hobby” so worthwhile and truly enjoyable. I hope to see you at our next event.

End of Day