History Comes to Life at Feast of the Hunters’ Moon

Did you know Indiana will celebrate its 200^th birthday in 2016? It’s hard to imagine all of the events that have happened in this state for the past two centuries.

I appreciate historic re-enactments and festivals and other historic events that bring Indiana’s past to life. The Feast of the Hunters’ Moon  is one such event.

The Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is held on the grounds of Fort Ouiatenon, one of Indiana’s oldest historic sites, a primitive country setting on the banks of the Wabash River, four miles southwest of West Lafayette, Indiana. Fort Ouiatenon was the first fortified post established by Europeans in what is now Indiana. The French established Ouiatenon in 1717 at this gateway to the western prairies. Just think, that is a century before Indiana officially became a state in 1816!

The Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is a festival / re-enactment presented every October by the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. The Feast is a great opportunity to see what it was like to work and live at an 18th century outpost.

It was not necessarily an easy existence. French fur traders and soldiers spoke different languages from Native Americans and the British. That could have caused disruptions, hence the number of military demonstrations at the festival.

It was a challenging time and yet as the re-enactors are happy to show, not everything was difficult. There was often music and dancing among the early pioneers as they gathered on the banks of the Wabash River for a bountiful harvest festival.

The fresh air and all of this history always makes me hungry so I check out the savory stews, chicken, roasted corn and other 18^th century foods cooked over open fires and are available for purchase. Yum!

I love the bright colors of the costumed participants, the sounds of the cannons and the smells of wood fires. Yep, this is a personal favorite activity of mine, especially since it reflects my home state’s lengthy and varied past.

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The Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is a history lesson that is more fun than reading a textbook!

Date and Time:
October 3 – 4, 2015
Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT