Oct. 7, 2008

Mackinaw City, Mich. - During the evenings of Oct. 10 and 11, campfires will blaze along the path to Colonial Michilimackinac's "water gate," where story-telling voyageurs (French fur traders) will warn you about the mythical creatures roaming inside the walls of the 18th-century fort and fur-trading village in Mackinaw City.

The Colonial Michilimackinac "Fort Fright" event will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with last admission at 8:30 p.m. on both nights. Many of the fort's buildings will be open, with lanterns lighting the way from door to door. In several houses, costumed historic interpreters will prepare authentic autumn treats. A roaming fiddler will play fiddle music throughout the fort, a comfort compared to the other sounds that may be heard. The unexplained howls and cackles of creepy characters such as a were-wolf, witch, and mythical lutin are expected to draw visitors closer 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 State Historic Parks (MSHP) and the event coordinator. "But we'll also have a 'terror-ible' haunted house designed to appeal to older children and adults." 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. The collection of short stories, published by MSHP, is based on French-Canadian folktales brought to Mackinac by the voyageurs during the height of the French fur trade, and is also the basis of the entire Fort Fright event. Priced at $6 a copy, the softbound book will be available for purchase at the Colonial Michilimackinac Visitor's Center on the nights of the event. Books can also be purchased at select MSHP museum stores prior to the event.

"This event is not just there to scare you!" said MSHP Curator of Education Katie Cederholm. "There's background to the event, which stems from French-Canadian tales that were passed on from person to person as voyageurs and other people traveled, and so there's a strong oral tradition behind Fort Fright."

Treat bags, sponsored by Citizens' National Bank of Chebyogan, will be given to children as they leave Fort Fright.

Tickets can be purchased at the Colonial Michilimackinac Visitor's Center before the event or when arriving at the event. Prices are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-17 (children age 4 and under and Mackinac Associate members Friend Level and above are free), or $15 a family. For more information, visit MackinacParks.com and click on the Fort Fright icon located at the bottom right section of the homepage.

Much of Colonial Michilimackinac, a national historic landmark, has been reconstructed based on archaeological excavations, including 13 buildings and structures. This fort and fur-trading village was founded by the French in 1715. The fort is depicted today as it was in the 1770s when occupied by the British. It is open from early May to mid-October.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a pure Michigan 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 - 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, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available 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).