Trail of History returns to Glacial Park

From the Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Trail of History returns to Glacial Park
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

RINGWOOD – This weekend, Bob Paine won't be a 64-year-old adjunct professor from Crystal Lake.

Rather, he will be a 54-year-old fur trader of French and Potawatomi descent, living in a North American Métis village in the 1760s.

"I make sure the people who live in [my] village bring in the furs to trade with my company rather than a competitor," Paine said.

Paine is one of more than 200 re-enactors who will abandon their real identities as part of the McHenry County Conservation District's 20th annual Trail of History event.

From 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Glacial Park, the re-enactors will portray blacksmiths, sheep herders, fur traders and others who lived between 1670 and 1850. Through their role-playing and elaborate scene-setting at the park, visitors will get a glimpse of life as it was more than 150 years ago.

"They will not break character the entire time they're down there," said Wendy Kummerer, communications manager for the district.

Between 8,000 and 12,000 visitors are expected at the annual event, where they can travel back in history as they walk a mile-long trail.

Visitors can make corn husk dolls, play old-fashioned games, and dress up in old-fashioned clothes, among other activities. There also will be a re-enactment of military tactics during the French and Indian War, Dr. Balthazar’s traveling medicine show, swordsmanship and blacksmith demonstrations, and a variety of musicians, dancers and fortune tellers.

"It's a fun way for people to learn what life was like in the past," Paine said. "Most of the [re-enactors] know a lot about their periods, the events and people of their time."

Parents also will have the chance to "sell" their child as an indentured servant, perfect for any family with a child who has complained about doing chores.

Re-enactors will begin arriving Thursday night and won't leave the campsite until the event is over Sunday. Friday, about 1,500 fifth-grade students from area schools will get a sneak peek at the event as part of a field trip.

Glacial Park is at 6316 Harts Road, off the west side of Route 31 north of Ringwood. Cost to attend is $6 per adult, $2 for seniors 60 and older, and $2 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Pets are not permitted.

If you go
What: Trail of History.
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Glacial Park, 6316 Harts Road, Ringwood.
Cost: $6 for adults, $2 for seniors 60 and older and $2 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger admitted free.
Information: Call 815-338-6223 or visit www.mccdistrict.org.