JACKSON -- The tomahawk throw, the traditional black powder shoot and the children's and ladies' games will all be back at the annual Fort Belmont Rendezvous in Jackson this weekend.
"One of the new attractions this year -- we have the tower finished and up again," said Ken Kruse, vice president of the Fort Belmont Foundation. "People can go in there and go to the top, and you can really see a lot from over there."
Fort Belmont, a replica of a civilian fort built in the pioneer era of Jackson County, was moved from its former location a few years ago. The fort's watchtower was moved to a hill overlooking Interstate 90 and the new Fort Belmont site in May.
"People already have stopped (at the fort) because of that," Kruse said. "You can really see a lot from over there."
New this year at the Rendezvous will be Paul the Gooseman, who will bring his trained geese to the event Saturday and Sunday.
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Visitors to Fort Belmont will also be able to ride a horse-drawn wagon or listen to presentations by Steve Ulmen, the author of historical fiction about the Sioux Uprising.
The Fort Belmont grounds will be open from 9 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to early afternoon on Sunday.
Demonstrations of butter-churning, spinning, rope-making and blacksmithing will go on throughout the Rendezvous.
From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, people can register for the Dutch Oven cook-off, with judging for the contest at 4:30 p.m.
The traditional black powder shoot will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
At 2 p.m., kids' and women's games will begin.
"The ladies' games include the frying pan toss, moccasin toss, and the laundry day clothes-hanging competition," Kruse said. "It's a speed thing to see how quickly and how well they can hang up their laundry -- it gets a little wild and crazy."
The popular tomahawk throw competition will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, and this year a $100 prize will be given to the winner, Kruse said.
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On Sunday, Nancy Sather of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will offer guided prairie walks at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., showing the many plants of the prairie and how they were used by pioneers and American Indians.
