SEQUIM — Members of the Green River Mountain Men will bring the 19th century to life during their annual rendezvous near Sequim this weekend.
The Green River Mountain Men Rendezvous is a re-enactment of the annual fur trappers’ gatherings in the early 1800s.
The nonprofit group will offer historic-style campsites and period-dressed re-enactors with hands-on activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at a 20-acre site southwest of Sequim at Slab Camp Road, just off Lost Mountain Road.
Admission will be free for spectators who are invited to come and watch the festivities.
A $20 fee will be charged for those 13 and older who want to participate in the sporting events and an additional $20 fee for those who wish to camp on-site during the event, said Vickie Shurr, event trade chief, on Wednesday.
Activities will include black-powder shoots, primitive archery, a Dutch oven cooking competition, scrimshaw, music, storytelling and children’s activities.
Vendors will be selling trinkets and speaking to visitors about the 19th century, Shurr said.
A special event this year is a Derringer pistol shoot, she said.
Shurr said she has attended the annual Green River Mountain Men Rendezvous for the past 35 years.
She met her husband, Mike, at a rendezvous when it was in Ravensdale.
“We even got married at a gun club,” Shurr said.
“In fact, three years ago here in Sequim, we renewed our vows at the rendezvous.”
The couple’s love of historical firearms has spread to their 14-year-old son, Shurr said, who has been shooting black powder weapons since he was 3.
The Shurr family will be among an estimated 60 or 70 shooters expected to participate this weekend, Shurr said.
The family-oriented event is a place for youngsters to learn about their American roots, she said.
“We do a lot of seminars and hands-on stuff,” she said.
“There will be somebody up there to show you how to fire [a weapon] with flintlock and steel. There is one guy who will talk about traps and trapping.”
Club members “are so willing to talk to what we call flatlanders because it is a dying sport and it is so much fun and it is so good for the kids and there are so many people involved that know this history frontwards and backwards,” Shurr continued.
To get to the meeting site, take Taylor Cutoff Road south from U.S. Highway 101, then take a right at the “Y” intersection onto Lost Mountain Road.
From there, take a left on Slab Camp Road, which is a dirt road. The site is about half a mile farther on the left.
Signs will be posted.
The 5-mile drive takes about 10 minutes from Highway 101.
For more information, send an email to [email protected].
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Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at [email protected] peninsuladailynews.com.
