DULUTH — Marlene Platcek isn't quite sure when she first joined the Lester River Rendezvous, but she knows it's been about a decade. The Two Harbors-based historical reenactor had been involved in history rendezvous across Minnesota and Colorado for 20 years before she started attending the Lester Park event. "It's the history part of it that I like," Platcek said.
"I do the sewing part of the clothes and it's just fun to talk to people about clothes, what people would wear." The Lester River Rendezvous is set in the 18th and early 19th century. Reenactors statewide gather in the park for two educational days that immerse Northland students in the daily life of a voyageur fur trader with interactive demonstrations.
Activities include cooking over an open fire, tanning hides, hatchet throwing, and cannon-fire and musket-shooting demonstrations. ADVERTISEMENT Following the two education days, the rendezvous is open to the public Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Platcek's corner of the festival has a lot less gunpowder, but she said kids of all ages like to gather at her tent to learn about making clothes.
"I demonstrate how they printed fabric by hand," Platcek said. "I take tons of white fabric and cut it up into squares and get some ink stamp pads and let the kids try out hand block printing. Listen — even the boys like it.
" Platcek said that sometimes the kids are really surprised about how much work goes into creating clothing. "I tell the kids they didn't have a Walmart.