Rendezvous with history at Petit Jean

Tossed tomahawks and flying frying pans will make things more exciting than usual for visitors at Petit Jean State Park this weekend.

It's the 19th year for the Mountain Rendezvous, a living history encampment sponsored by the Early Arkansas Reenactors.

"Some people call it experiential archaeology," says park interpreter B.T. Jones. "They're experiencing past times. It's not 100 percent authentic, but it is a glimpse into the past."

Early Arkansas members and other re-enactors gather at a field in the park where the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp once stood (it's now called the ballfield) and fill it with campsites demonstrating a long list of skills from pre-1836 Arkansas.

Visitors are invited to wander around and learn about hunting, firearms, food preparation and clothing.

Jones says he rarely knows for sure what they'll have any given year so that part is usually a surprise but in past years, there have been people making furniture and cloth. There's usually at least one blacksmith.

And it's not all watching. There are opportunities for some hands-on learning as well.

There are tomahawk tosses -- with safety precautions taken -- and muzzleloader demonstrations with blanks instead of live ammunition. People also can learn how to start a fire with flint and steel.

Saturday's activities will include a Tall Tales storytelling program and a caber toss.

"One of our participants one year made a log-tossing caber," Jones says. "It's a Scottish sport that grew out of tossing logs across bogs."

On Sunday, Jones says, there will be lessons in primitive fishing and a frying pan toss: "It's kind of like discus throwing."

When things begin to wind down for the day and the sun begins to set, the camps transform.

Jones says, "It's a beautiful place in the evening. When the sun goes down, it's lantern-lit. It's a really special time of year. A great place to come after Thanksgiving."

There should be plenty of parking at Pavilion A or at the swimming pool for people who want to visit. Jones advises that people take their own food if they plan to stay a while; there will not be any food vendors.

"This is aimed at primarily being a learning experience and seeing how people did things in the old days," he says. "There are some traders who sell items, but no food."

It's a tactile, entertaining way to learn that takes history out of the textbooks. And, Jones says, it's just a nice way to fill a long weekend: "It's a fun thing to do during the holidays. All the camps together are quite a spectacle."

Weekend on 11/24/2016