2011 Brigade Encampment Activity Schedule

News Release Date: June 9, 2011

Contact: Kimm Fox-Middleton, 360-816-6243

Contact: Aaron Ochoa, 360-816-6233

VANCOUVER, WA - The National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site has announced a full schedule of family-friendly activities for the Brigade Encampment special event, scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2011.

The annual Brigade Encampment special event brings back to life a celebration of the end of the fur trapping season. Again the brigades of fur trappers return to Fort Vancouver! They will share their stories of adventure and life in the wilds with those they have not seen in close to a year -- and you are invited!

Families of today will be able try their hand at making a fire, playing children’s games, and more. Camps open at 10:00 a.m. with engaging activities throughout the day for everyone to participate.

Prior to the opening of the camps, at 9:30 a.m. costumed reenactors portraying returning 1840’s fur brigadiers will trek from Old Apple Tree Park and across the Land Bridge to the Village where the main event will begin at 10:00 a.m.

The public is welcome to join these costumed reenactors at Old Apple Tree Park (on Columbia Way) and walk with them across the Land Bridge to the event or park at the fort parking lot (1001 E. Fifth St.) and walk to the Village event site.

In addition, a beta version of the Fort Vancouver Mobile smartphone application will be available as a free download all day. Representatives from Washington State University-Vancouver's Creative Media and Digital Culture Program will be onsite to help visitors use the app and also listen to suggestions to make it better.

Schedule of Activities

8:00 a.m.      

Public Archaeology Field School Open (The Public Archaeology Field School will be doing excavations in the Fort Vancouver Village June 15 through July 22).

Beta version of the Fort Vancouver Mobile smartphone application available for free download and use (all day)
  
9:30 a.m.

Arrival of the Fur Brigades at Old Apple Tree Park (Public Welcome!)
Walk Over Land Bridge

10:00 a.m.     

Musket salute in the Village

Brigade camps open to the public

10:30 a.m.  

Dame School & Young Engage School Student Activities Showcase

11:00 a.m. (through 4:00 p.m.)   

Apprentice Engagé Program (All ages)

• HBC Contract Signing

• Cooking/Food Identification 

• Wood Gathering/ Fire Making

• Cordage Manufacture

• Identification: Furs of the Trade

• Learning Chinook Jargon

• Leatherwork

• Crafts for Survival
  

• Sewing , Knitting, Beading, & Powder Horns

• Children’s Games

11:30 a.m.

Tools of the Trade- Black Powder Program

12:30 p.m.    

Camp Tales

1:30 p.m.    

Dame & Young Engage School Student Activities Showcase
  
2:30 p.m.     

Tools of the Trade- Black Powder Program
  
3:30 p.m.     

Name That Pelt: Fur Identification

4:00 p.m.    

Contract Signing, Cultural Demonstrations, Games Close

5:00 p.m.     

Camps Close

WHERE: Encampment takes place at the Village, just west of the reconstructed stockade at Fort Vancouver NHS. 1001 East 5th Street Vancouver, WA 98661.

WHEN: Saturday, June 18, 2011 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

COST: Event is free of charge. Fees do apply to enter the reconstructed stockade.

For additional information about this and other special events offered by the National Park Service at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, please visit our website www.nps.gov/fova or call the Visitor Center at 360. 816.6230.

 

Background: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, is the heart of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve brings together a national park, a premier archaeological site, the region's first military post, an international fur trade emporium, one of the oldest operating airfields, the first national historic site west of the Mississippi River, and a waterfront trail and environmental center on the banks of the Columbia River. The partners of the Reserve teach visitors about the fur trade, early military life, natural history, and pioneers in aviation, all within the context of Vancouver’s role in regional and national development. The Reserve's vast array of public programs -- including living history events, festivals, cultural demonstrations, exhibits, active archaeology, and other special activities -- create a dynamic, fun, and unique tourist destination for people of all ages.