Historical
Demonstrations & Activities

29th Annual
Heritage Days
on the Goshen Trail
Godfrey, Illinois

September 27 - 28, 2008
9 am - 5 pm daily - Rain or Shine

Continuous events, activities, and demonstrations take place throughout the Festival grounds. A large Primitive Area contains many traders and sutlers selling their wares, reenactors camping out in teepees and tents and cooking over open fires. There are demonstrations, entertainment groups, activities for the family, and lots of Living History.

One of the major events that occurred during the time period that the Festival covers was the French and Indian War (1756-1763) that ended with the French losing control of her North American possessions. The French Colonial Artillery (top photo) from the St. Louis Metro East area will be making daily demonstrations of an artillery company. Narrated by Jim Chestney from Alton, IL, this is a great chance to learn the different stages of preparing an 18th century canon for firing, the types of uniforms worn, and the history of the different French and American flags that were in use during the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812.

The French were the dominant influence in the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area during most of the 18th century and because the French were more interested in fur trapping and trading than in settling the area the French fur trapper represented the European presence in most areas other than the scattered French villages and trading posts. At the time, the waterways were the major highways of travel and a familiar sight was the French voyageur canoe. This large canoes would be manned by crews of 10 to 20 men. A replica of this early means of travel can be found near the main entrance.

Music and dance were the major forms of entertainment of the era and appearing at the upper stage near the Primitive Area will be entertainment from the time period. The Crystal Dance Troupe (photo right) headquartered in Fairview Heights, IL, will perform period dancing on both days. The Alton Area Dulcimer players will be performing tunes using this traditional instrument, a member of the zither family that is played with hammers, along with other instruments on both days. On Sunday, Dance Caledonia will perform traditional Scottish Highland dances.

Traditional Foods & Refreshments

A festival isn’t a festival without food and there is plenty of variety of traditional foods and refreshments to be found.

Biscuits & Gravy (Sunday Only) O Buffalo Burgers O Buffalo Chili
Caramel Apples O Chicken and Dumplings O Corn in the Husk
Cornish Pasties O Fish O French Onion Soup O Fruited Punch
Ham & Beans O Homemade Ice Cream O Indian Fry Bread
Kettle Popcorn O Kettle Potato Chips O Lemonade O Pork Rinds
Pork Steaks O Potato Soup O Rhubarb Jam O Rock Candy on a Stick
Root Beer O Sauerkraut O Sausage O Spiced Cider O Turkey Legs

Other Demonstrations, Activities & Services
Dulcimer Demonstration		Black Powder Competition
Children's Activities		Tomahawk Throwing
Heritage Days Raffle		Storytelling
Roving Musicians		Information
Parking Area Shuttle		Children's Art Contest
America's History Museum Display

Links to Additional Heritage Days Pages
Home Page		Check out the Home Page for general background information, admission fees, daily schedule of activities, and special attractions.
Traditional Artisans		A diverse group of artisans and craftsmen don traditional clothing and demonstrate the skills necessary to survive and prosper on the frontier. Demonstrations include hide tanning, blacksmithing, weaving and dyeing and more!

No Pets Allowed with the exception of Service Dogs

For more information on this event call 618-806-3095

greatriverroad.com provides web pages free of charge for events run by Non-Profit Community Organizations that are of interest to visitors to the area. Contact the webmaster if you have an information on an event that greatriverroad.com can use to create a web page. We reserve the right to limit content.