Aug. 30, 2006

Mackinaw City, Mich.— On Oct. 7, Colonial Michilimackinac will be transformed into a haunted habitat where werewolves, witches and other legendary characters roam. Operating under the name “Fort Fright” for this one night, the 18^th-century fortified fur-trading village will be open from 6 to 8 p.m., with admission set at $5 for adults, $3 for youths (6-17) and free for children 5 and under or $15 for a family.

Visitors will enter the “Fort Fright” event in the Colonial Michilimackinac Visitor’s Center and be guided down a path to the fort’s "water gate." Along the way, they’ll encounter a campfire surrounded by story-telling voyageurs, who will set the stage for what will be seen and heard inside the fort walls.

Many of the fort’s buildings will be open that evening, with lanterns lighting the way from door to door. In three of the houses, costumed interpreters will prepare authentic autumn treats like molasses cookies and toffee candy for visitors to eat and enjoy. At the Commanding Officer’s House and Guardhouse, a detachment of British soldiers will take turns telling ghoulish ghost stories. In the Southwest Rowhouse, fiddle music will fill the air, while outside unexplained howls and moans are expected to draw visitors close to the fort’s fire pit and a simmering kettle of hot mulled cider.

The majority of activities at the “Fort Fright” event will be suitable for the whole family, noted Steven Brisson, chief curator of Mackinac Parks and the event coordinator. “But we’re also working on a ‘terror-ible’ haunted house designed to appeal to older children and adults,” he said.

The characters that will be seen and talked about throughout the evening are drawn from a book called Were-Wolves and Will-o-the-Wisps: French Tales of Mackinac Retold, which was authored by Dirk Gringhuis and published by Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1974. “The book describes the best-known legends in French-Canadian folklore,” explained Brisson, “like the man who can change into a wolf, the ghostly light known as ‘will o’ the wisp,’ and the good and bad goblins called ‘lutins.’” Many of these legends spread to other countries, Brisson noted, and some are still believed in today — with a twist. “For instance, Gringuis’ book tells us that black cats — now thought of as bringing bad luck — were originally considered the best of the good lutins.”

Priced at $6 a copy, the softbound Were-Wolves and Will-o-the-Wisps will be available for purchase at the Visitor’s Center on the night of the event.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites 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. MSHP sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information may be obtained by phone at (231) 436-4100 or on the Web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).