RENDEZVOUS ROUSER: Lester River Rendezvous to bring Northlanders back in time

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The annual Lester River Rendezvous will welcome Northlanders to Lester Park to take them back to the 18th century.

The Rendezvous features events from the fur trade era, giving a glimpse into what life was like at that time.

“The live voyager village is probably what makes us different, we will have a kids festival area where they can play fall festival games for prizes,” Lindsey Whitlinger, the Committee Chair for the Lester River Rendezvous, said.

Leading up to the event on September 30, there are two educational days for students.

Students will get the opportunity to learn from actors about how to live life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

“They will go between about 20 different voyagers and there they will go through classes that are 30 minutes long learning how to do things such as blacksmithing, fur trading, cannon shooting, build a canoe, cook over an open fire,” Whitlinger said.

The classes are meant to teach the students about what hands-on skills were needed during that time period.

Although the classes are busy in the two days leading up to the event on September 30, the main rendezvous is what most people look forward to.

“I think no matter the time or the era is, to bring the community together and see where we came from and where we’ve come it’s just a great time to come about to the park, you’ll just see everyone,” she said.

Coming together is the actual definition of the event.

“I think the most important part of it is the rendezvous part, the definition of getting together as a community and celebrating,” Whitlinger said.

The Rendezvous will feature a petting zoo, food trucks, local vendors, and more at Lester Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 30.

For more information about the Lester River Rendezvous, you can visit their website here.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 Northern News Now. All rights reserved.