09/04/2007

Colonial Michilimackinac Hosts King’s 8th Regiment Reenactors September 15 & 16

Mackinaw City, Mich. — The force of redcoats at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City will more than double on September 15 and 16 when Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP) invites reenactors from the King’s 8th Regiment to move into the reconstructed colonial village and military fort.

The group, with members from Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Canada, portrays the British King’s 8th Regiment that was stationed in the Great Lakes region from 1768 to 1785, including at Fort Michilimackinac.

Approximately eight members at a time spend the night in the reconstructed National Historic Landmark. During admission hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the reenactors join the fort’s regular redcoat staff in musket and cannon firing demonstrations, colonial life tours, and lively interaction with guests. All events are included with Colonial Michilimackinac admission: $10 adults, $6 youths 6-17, and free for children 5 and under.

Colonial Michilimackinac is a professionally reconstructed 18th-century French and British military and trading outpost with 13 buildings. Exhibits include the “Treasures from the Sand” archaeological tunnel; “Redcoats on the Frontier,” which lets visitors experience the lives of British soldiers in this remote but critical center of commerce; and the Southwest Rowhouse, where hearth cooking, crafts, and colonial trading are demonstrated.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and nature parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac and is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites—which are accredited by the American Association of Museums—include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park, and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. Visitor information is available at 231-436-4100 or on the web at www.MackinacParks.com.