Eddie
Little Bear and goodewife Sarah relaxing together(after a hard day of trying to educate Flatlanders)
Eddie
Little Bear and goodewife Sarah relaxing together
(after a hard day of trying to educate Flatlanders)
Fort bon
Secour (Pike Lake, WI), July 1996. Our camp at the Firecracker
Rendezvous.
Fort bon
Secour (Pike Lake, WI), July 1996. As you can see, the fort itself
was still under construction, but coming along nicely. In between
Rendezvous, Father Thomas opens it up for School Groups, Scout
Troops, etc. He and his group run it like a Living History Museum in
the hopes of educating Flatlanders.
Mid-Continental (Lady Smith, WI), July 1996. These
were some of our nieghbors at Lady Smith. They got there real early
to get this spot. I doubt it was to be close to the hooters. More
likely it was to be next to the gate (which is between them and the
hooters), so they got first crack at the Flatlanders (while their
wallets were still full!).
Mid-Continental (Lady Smith, WI), July 1996. Looking
West across the Ceremonial Ring,
near sunset of the first set-up day. (So, please ignore the strange "
covered wagon" on the right side). Our Tipi is the tall one, just
left of center. Ours is usually the biggest Tipi wherever we go. I
didn't plan it that way, but it works out kinda nice - it's easy for
people to find us.
Mid-Continental (Lady Smith, WI), July 1996. The
North side of Traders row. It's still first set up day, so it's a bit
empty yet.
Mid-Continental (Lady Smith, WI), July 1996. The
South side of Traders row. Again, it's a little empty yet. But this
side filled up faster, probably so their wares would be more in the
shade.
Frenchman's
Frolic (Rockford, IL), August 1996. Frenchman's Frolic is a
"Rendezvous-ers Rendezvous". They don't turn away flatlanders, but
they don't work too hard to round them up either. It's mostly just a
chance for Skinners to relax and have fun. The little one in the
foreground is my youngest, Dorothea. She attended her first event (in
garb!) at the ripe old age of 3 weeks! To her, that Tipi is home and
our house is just where we stay in between events.
Trail of
History (McHenry, IL), October 1996. The Trail of History (A.K.A. The
Kames) is a good sized event (300+ lodges and more wanting in every
year). But oddly enough, it is not very well known. Maybe it's
because they are very strict about the rules. Once you set up, they
expect you to stay in costume and in character all of the time. Now a
lot of Rendezvous say this, but Trail takes it to the point of not
wanting you to smoke store bought cigarettes or drink your beverages
from the original containers - even after hours, when there are no
flatlanders in camp. It was hard, and yet rewarding, to stay within
all of their rules. And I think I'll do it again this year.
Trail of
History (McHenry, IL), October 1996. A fellow Skinner, tuning up his
fiddle. We had a wedding there this year (a real one, not just a show
for the flatlanders). There was lots of dancin' and singin', with
plenty of music provided by the participants. This fellow was just
one of the dozen or more musicians who serenaded the happy couple.