Sign up for April/early May events

As we look forward to the start of the outdoor season in northern states, don't forget to check the pre-registration requirements for events you plan to attend. Here's a list of events in late March, April and early May.

March 22-24, 2024 - School of the 17th Century Soldier, Fort Loudoun Historic Site, 1720 N. Brooklyn Road, Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania 17224. Contact history@fortloudounpa.com, 717-372-5945. Focus is on soldiers and civilians in camp life with military drilling and demonstrations of weapons of the period, 1600-1699.

April 6-7, 2024 - The Garrison opening weekend, Fort Meigs, 29100 W. River Road, Perrysburg, Ohio. Contact 419-874-4121, www.fortmeigs.org/events. Juried event. Live 1812 demonstrations with the 21st Infantry.

April 6-7, 2024 - Fort de Chartres Colonial Market Faire, Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher, Illinois 62277. Contact Jason Duensing, lesamisdufortdechartres@gmail.com, www.fortdechartres.us. Juried event: 1750-1790. Pre-registration and jury applications required. For application, visit www.fortdechartres.us/2024-fdc-colonial-faire. Historic interpreters, shooting matches, period games, craftspeople, merchants. Public hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

April 11-14, 2024 - School of the Longhunter, Prickett's Fort, 88 State Park Road, Fairmont, West Virginia, 26554. Contact 304-363-3030 or register at www.prickettsfort.org/register.html. Space is limited and registration is required. Fee is $40 for members/$45 for non-members. Intense weekend of instruction, exploring the role of early frontiersmen on the American frontier. Speakers focus on frontier skills of the longhunter.

April 13-14, 2024 - Clothing Conference - Yesteryear’s Essentials Revisited: Fads and Fashions in the time of Jane Austen, Fort Meigs, 29100 W. River Road, Perrysburg, Ohio. Contact 419-874-4121, www.fortmeigs.org/events. Presentations and a Saturday evening soiree. Fee $85.

April 19-21, 2024 - Spring Thaw Rendezvous, Ball & Arrow Primitive Weapons Club Inc., 5190 Days Lane NE, New Philadelphia (Roswell), Ohio 44663. Contact Duane Winkler, 330-343-4880, winky4@roadrunner.com. Period dress required. Camp fee $25. Additional shooters $10 each. Walk-ins welcome with $25 per shooter fee. Rifle woodswalk, primitive archery woodswalk, knife & hawk and kids games. Camp feed Saturday evening; provide own table service and a dish to share. Modern camping area is available. Provide your own drinking water. Ball & Arrow is celebrating its 50th anniversary. No pets.

April 19-21, 2024 - Spirits of the Pines, Frank Merry Park, 18505 N. County Road 550 E., Dunkirk, Indiana 47336. Contact David Blair, 765-273-0987, davidtblair726@gmail.com, Facebook page. Juried living history encampment covering 1750-1812: F&I, Rev War and Regency. The location is an 80-acre private park with a pine forest. Property has trails through the pines that open to large areas for several camps. Friday school day. Admission $8. Public hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

April 19-21, 2024 - Phil Cravener Memorial Rendezvous, Old Westmoreland Rifles, 188 McCullough Road, Derry, Pennsylvania 15671. Contact Darryl Myers, 724-522-1729; John Kaminsky, 724-887-7265; or Duane King, 724-850-7305, www.oldwestmorelandrifles.com/index.html. Rifle and pistol shooting, archery, hawk & knife poker, fire starting, camp games. Modern and primitive camping. Take your own water. No trader fee. 

April 20-21, 2024 - Buck Creek Muzzleloaders Spring Rendezvous, Linton, Indiana. Contact Facebook page.

April 24-28, 2024 - Amarugia Spring Rendezvous, London Mills, Illinois. Contact Larry Schatz, 309-370-1174, larryws@frontiernet.net, Facebook page. Pre-1830 event on private property. Period dress Friday-Sunday. Bow shoot, hawk & knife.

April 26-27, 2024 - Grassy Run Heritage Rendezvous, Grassy Run Historical Arts Committee, Cook Log Cabin Heritage Center, 6707 Goshen Road, Goshen, Ohio 45122. 1760-1840 event. Contact booshway 520-675-2882, grassyrun@gmail.com, Facebook group at GRHAC. Registration address is Grassy Run, P.O. Box 562, Williamsburg, Ohio 45176. Friday school day. Saturday public day.

April 27-28, 2024 - Bridgeton Rendezvous, Downtown Bridgeton, Indiana 47836. Sponsored by Bridgeton Covered Bridge Association. Contact bton1878hse@aol.com, 765-548-2093 for camping information, bridgetonindiana.com, Facebook page, www.facebook.com/events/4914394468599671?ref=newsfeed. Early setup Wednesday or Thursday. Reenactment 1750-1840 with period camps, clothing, cooking, trading, black powder rifle shoots, primitive bow shoot, knife and hawk, woods walk, skillet throw. No camp fee.

April 27-28, 2024 - Patoka Valley Long Rifles Spring Rendezvous, 1579 E. Logtown Road, Winslow, Indiana 47598. Contact Tom E. Hawk Mosley, 812-677-2318, patokavalleylongrifles@gmail.com, Facebook page.

April 27-28, 2024 - Redbud Trail Rendezvous, Fulton County Historical Society, 37 E. 375 N, Rochester, Indiana 46975. Contact 574-223-4436, www.fultoncountyhistory.org, Facebook page. Blanket traders and merchants, craft demonstrations. Blanket shoot and blanket hawk & knife competition. Added Civil War camp this year. Public hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission $3 for ages 12 and older. Proceeds go to operate the museum.

April 27-28, 2024 - Michigan Antique Arms Collectors Inc., 46100 Grand River, Novi, Michigan 48374. Contact Greg Zemsta, 248-556-6590, mauserman98@hotmail.com, www.michiganantiquearms.com. Guns and accoutrements, Native artifacts, knives, relics and similar items. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Members admitted at 8 a.m. Admission fee $8 and parking $10.

April 30-May 5, 2024 - Lancaster County Longrifles Rendezvous And Black Powder Shoot, Muddy Run Park, Susquehanock Drive, Holtwood, Pennsylvania. Contact Danny Gichner, 717-682-1393, gich@comcast.net, or Luanne Bell, 717-566-9983, luannebell56@gmail.com, www.lancastercountylongrifles.com, Facebook page. Pre-1840 fur trade era. Pre-registration is due April 1. Fees are  $45 for adults ages 17 and older ($60 at the gate); $30 for juniors ($35 at the gate); children 11 and younger free; $150 for families ($165 at the gate).  No additional sutler fee. Adult day shooter is $45 and youth day shooter is $30. Associate membership available for $10 per adult, which allows for early setup after noon April 27. Registered sutlers may set up after noon April 28. Early setup for campers is 8 a.m.-8 p.m. April 29. Period attire is required beginning at 8 a.m. April 30. Check website for further setup information: www.lancastercountylongrifles.com/pre-registration-.html. Camp ends at noon May 6. Modern camp available and nearby campground. Competitions include rifle, pistol, smoothbore shoots as well as archery, hawk & knife, woods walk, children's games, Highland games, seminars. Public day 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 4 with $10 fee.

May 3-5, 2024 - Early Ohio on the Portage, Wood County Museum, 13660 County Home Road, Bowling Green, Ohio. Timeline event, 1750-1865. Contact Kurt Harris, 419-494-2876, kurtharris53@gmail.com, or Frank Butwin, 419-270-0622, fb21@wcnet.org. Contact for application. Early setup Thursday. School day Friday. Lantern tour Friday night. Public hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Reenactors may stay until Monday. Exploration and settlement of the early days of the Northwest Territory, state of Ohio and the Ohio Country, especially along and near the Portage River in Wood County. Free dinner coupon for reenactors from food truck.

May 3-5, 2024 - Greene County Fish & Game Spring Rendezvous, 1538 Union Road, Xenia, Ohio 45385. Contact Brian Lavery, 937-241-8327, or Hope Lavery, 937-241-8915. Camp fee. No extra fee for traders. Competitions include shoots, archery, hawk & knife, pastry toss.

May 3-5, 2024 - Five Medals at The Trace, Stone's Trace, 5111 Lincolnway South, Ligonier, Indiana 46767. Contact fivemedals1812@gmail.com for an application. Juried event, 1750-1815. Event focused on demonstration and education. Military, Natives, civilians, food vendors, demonstrations, merchants, entertainers, street mongers, blanket traders, skirmish. Friday school day. Public hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday.

May 4-5, 2024 - Traditional Bow Shoot, Ball & Arrow Primitive Weapons Club Inc., 5190 Days Lane NE, New Philadelphia (Roswell), Ohio 44663. Contact Greg VanFossen, 330-260-0946, or Steve Cronk, 330-339-1250. Recurves, self-bows and stick bows only. Woodswalk, 3D targets, night-time coon shootm novelty shoots. Competition registration 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Provide your own drinking water. No pets.

May 4-5, 2024 - Prelude to Revolution - The French and Indian War, George Rogers Clark Park, Springfield, Ohio. To register, contact Kristopher Shultz, kristophereshultz@gmail.com by April 28. Sponsored by George Rogers Clark Heritage Association and King's American Regiment / Allison's Company of Kentucky Militia. Juried event that portrays 20 years before the outbreak of the American Revolution when the Ohio Country was part of the French Empire and the homeland to Native peoples. Site of the 1780 Battle of Peckuwe and the venue of the annual Fair at New Boston. Admission $5 for ages 16 and older.

May 10-11, 2024 - Willard Revolutionary War Reenactment and Encampment, Willard Middle School, 1 Flashes Ave., Willard, Ohio 44890. Contact  Kyle von Camp or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/WillardRevWar. Every May, eighth-grade students at Willard Middle School recreate the time of the Revolutionary War, learn about life in the 1700s and reenact battle scenes. Reenactors, sutlers and volunteers are welcome to join the fun and see Revolutionary education at its best. Friday evening dinner, awards and military ball. On Saturday, the main stage will have speakers, demonstrations and entertainment.

May 10-12, 2024 - Muster on the St. Mary’s timeline, Old Fort Wayne, 1201 Spy Run Ave., Fort Wayne, Indiana. Contact 260-437-2836, facebook.com/HistoricFortWayne. Reenactor, sutler, demonstrator applications at oldfortwayne.org/get-involved/reenactor-registration. Vikings through mid-1950s. Public hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

May 11-12, 2024 - Appalachian Festival, Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio. Contact 513-232-8230, coneyislandpark.com. 1700-1840 event. Natives, food vendors, demonstrations, merchants, entertainers, blanket traders. Public hours 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission $15 adults and $5 ages 5-17.