BENTON — History came to life in Benton Saturday with the kickoff of the Gathering at Five Medals Living History Experience.
Held at the River Preserve County Park near the site of Chief Five Medals historic village, the event featured nearly 200 re-enactors in period costume demonstrating what it must have been like to live in the Midwest between the years 1660 to 1815.
Visitors to the event were able to experience all manner of historic crafts and professions, including everything from hand-made beadwork and stitching to blacksmithing, woodcarving and dyemaking.
Re-enactors representing various themes — voyageurs, French explorers, hunters, settlers and woodland Indians — were also on hand to give visitors a firsthand look at how such individuals would have worked and lived during these historic times.
And for those not afraid of a little noise, several authentic gun and cannon firing demonstrations were also held throughout the day.
Kathryn and Craig Meranda of Millersburg saw the event as a great chance for a local family outing while also getting in a little history lesson for their two daughters, Elyse and Erika.
“My husband is also a big hunter, trapper, and fisher — he’s a real naturalist — so he was really looking forward to coming out here too,” Kathryn said. “I also like that it was in the local area, so it’s handy, and we also got to bring the kids out and give them a taste of the past.”
Kathryn, a teacher with Concord Community Schools, said she feels such events are incredibly important for students, especially young students, to give them an idea of where they come from and how far society as a whole has progressed.
“Kids today don’t really have much of a connection with their past, and they don’t realize how good we’ve got it now,” Kathryn said. “As an educator, I think it would be great for them to get more schools involved. I think it would really give the kids some prior knowledge of our past.”
While the Meranda daughters were particularly smitten with the historic candy makers at the event, it was all about the blacksmithing for Chris Johnson of Elkhart.
“For me I really enjoyed the blacksmithing demonstration because I do a little bit of it myself,” Johnson said. “I thought it would be cool to come out and see how they worked during this time period.”
Like the Merandas, Johnson said he also thought the event would be a good learning experience for his sons.
“I thought it would be good for the boys to get a little bit of history,” Miller said. “With the Web sites like YouTube and all the digital equipment and games out there today, these guys are so far removed from their history, so it’s cool that they get to experience even a little bit of this.”
The event will continue today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children.
Parking is available at Benton Elementary School, 68350 C.R. 31, New Paris, with overflow parking at Fairfield High School, 67530 U.S. 33, Goshen.
Sponsors of the two-day event include: the Elkhart County Parks Department, the Elkhart County Historical Society, the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau, David and Janet Weed, Benton Elementary School, Supreme Corp. and Interra Credit Union.
Ted Miller of Bourbon agreed.
“We’ve always enjoyed these types of living history events,” Miller said. “The demonstrations are fascinating. I’m a big history lover, and I’m trying to get my son more involved in it, too.”
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Visitors enjoy Five Medals historical re-enactment
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