Feast of the Hunters' Moon facts for kids
The Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is a special festival held every October. It takes place over a weekend near West Lafayette, Indiana. This event is a historical reenactment that started in 1968. It happens at a place that looks like an old French military and trading post from the 1700s, called Fort Ouiatenon. The name "Hunters' Moon" traditionally refers to the full moon that appears in October, right after September's Harvest Moon.
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About the Festival Site
The Feast is held at Historic Fort Ouiatenon Park, right by the Wabash River. The main building you see there, called a blockhouse, is a copy of the original Fort Ouiatenon. This fort was the very first European settlement in what is now Indiana. The real fort was a French trading post. It was located about a mile down the river from where the replica stands today.
What Happens at the Feast
During the festival, people act out what it was like when French settlers and Native Americans gathered each fall at Fort Ouiatenon in the mid-1700s. Participants dress up in clothes from that time. You'll see French soldiers, settlers, and Native Americans.
Food vendors sell traditional foods from the 18th century. You might find rabbit stew, voyageur stew, or venison sausage. The festival also features lots of music, marching, dancing, and even reenacted military drills.
Music and Sounds of the Past
Many different musical groups perform at the Feast. You can hear Native American drummers. There are also performers who play historical folk music and French folksongs. You might even see fife and drum corps playing period music.
Bringing History to Life
The event includes historical reenactments. These are like live plays that show what life was like in the 1700s. People dressed as characters from the past teach visitors about their lives and culture.
For example, one historical interpreter might play a Delaware Indian. This character could have been a scout for the French. The Delaware people lived along the Wabash River in the 1700s. They often lived peacefully with the French at the outpost.
Other reenactors play traders and gunsmiths. One character, "Pierre Rolletof," might be a French Scots-Irish trader. He would have traveled along the Wabash River, trading items like guns. He also fixed guns as he traveled.
Other reenactors show off old trades and crafts. You might see a chairmaker building Windsor chairs. These chairs were made to order and took many hours to finish.
How Big is the Event?
The Feast of the Hunters' Moon is a very popular event. In 2004, over 8,000 people participated in the reenactments. More than 60,000 spectators came to watch!
The Tippecanoe County Historical Association helps put on the event. They work with the Tippecanoe County Parks Department. The festival usually happens on a weekend in late September or early October.
The Feast celebrated its 44th year in 2011. In 2017, it marked its 50th anniversary. That year also celebrated the 300th anniversary of the original fort. The event was canceled in 2020 but started again in 2021.
