Fort Crailo Harvest Faire - Part 3

I was attending the Fort Crailo Harvest Faire and had explored the outdoor exhibits (see previous posts). Then I went indoors to see the exhibits. I've lived close to Fort Crailo for a long time and have therefore seen the displays many times. But I always enjoy seeing them again. Near the front door and shooting holes in the front wall was this diorama of a Mohawk trapper trading with a Dutch woman:

And old Dutch artifacts and a brief history of the interactions between the Mohawk and Dutch settlers:

And down in the cellar, this man was playing old Dutch songs on a lute:

And he was pretty good. Here's a sample of his music:




An upstairs room had been furnished to show how it might have looked way back in time:

And more from inside the room:

This authentic reproduction of a Dutch fireplace was recently built and I got to talk to the man who'd built it. The Dutch style fireplace had no sides and one might imagine that the room got pretty darn smoky:

Back outdoors in the sun, it was evident that everyone was enjoying the festival and the spectacular weather:

This woman looked especially authentic in her period costume and bare feet:

Bowling on the front lawn. The first reference to bowling being played in America was in Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle," where Van Winkle, asleep for 20 years, was awakened by the sound of "nine pins," a Dutch style of bowling:

And as it came time for me to leave and resume my life in my own century, I chanced upon this touching and appropriate farewell: