Oct. 2013 Louisiana State Parks Events

Upon Request, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Daily Demonstrations. Daily demonstrations will be conducted to show how cotton fiber was separated from seed. Juxtaposed against hand separation, this will serve to illustrate how such a simple machine had such a great impact on the proliferation of cotton production in the South. We will be using a wheel gin (hand crank roller gin). These types of gins even pre-date the Whitney gin. We will also have mature cotton plants with open bolls as part of the exhibit/demonstration, as well as raw cotton for use in the gin. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Daily, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Musket Demonstration. The demonstration includes a brief presentation of infantry weapons used in the Civil War, a discussion of the merits of rifle muskets over smoothbore muskets and of the basic parts of the musket, a loading demonstration, and finally a firing demonstration. The presentation ends with a question and answer session and an invitation to continue the site tour with a visit into Fort Randolph. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, Rebel State Historic Site, Marthaville – Musical Petting Zoo, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Visitors can view the collection of stringed instruments on display to touch, play, and enjoy. For more information call 888.677.3600 toll free or 472.6255 locally.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, Rebel State Historic Site, Marthaville – The Listening Library, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Visitors can listen to country recordings and access the collection of books and films that tell the story of the roots of country music. For more information call 888.677.3600 toll free or 472.6255 locally.

Saturdays, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Workin’ in the Garden, 10-11 a.m. Together will the Rotary Club of Pineville, LA, site staff cultivates a vegetable garden on site. Volunteers are welcome to come help out and learn about vegetable gardening then and now. Your labor is always appreciated, as most vegetables produced go to the Main Street Mission of Pineville. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Oct. 5, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, Natchitoches – Historic Walk, 9-11 a.m. Site staff will take a walk with points of interest within the park and along a designated path where 18th century colonial families lived. Fee is $10 per person. For more information call 888.677.7853 toll free or 357.3101 locally.

Oct. 5, Hodges Gardens State Park, Florien – Painting in the Park, 9 a.m.-noon. Participants will be shown step-by-step how to draw and paint a picture. The gardens will be inspirational with their beauty and color. With or without artistic ability, you will paint your own masterpiece. Bring your own canvas; paint, brushes and easels will be provided. For more information and to reserve a seat call 318.586.7002.

Oct. 5, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Campfire Cooking Demonstration, 10 a.m. – noon. Food prepared will parallel camp cuisine common in Federal and Confederate encampments, but will also include seasonal fruits and vegetables that may have been available to foraging soldiers. This program offers opportunities to interpret period history, nature, culture, agriculture, commerce and more. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Oct. 12, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Whittling the Hours Away, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Many hours were spent in camp with little to do so soldiers sought refuge from boredom by devising various diversions. Group songs, games, musical instruments, theatrical productions, practical jokes and more all helped to keep morale up and pass the time. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Oct. 12, Marksville State Historic Site, Marksville – American Indians Worshiped, 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Park personnel will offer a dissertation of a variety of worship and religion practices. It becomes important to give credit to a local tribal worship, actually more defined. For more information call 888.253.8954 toll free or 253.8954 locally.

Oct. 12, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, Natchitoches – Night Watch: Fort by Candlelight, 7:30-9 p.m. Visitors will enjoy the night lights at Fort St. Jean Baptiste. The fort is a self-guided tour, so wear your walking shoes and bring a flashlight. For more information call 888.677.7853 toll free or 357.3101 locally.

Oct. 18-19, Rebel State Historic Site, Marthaville – Rebel’s 12th Annual Haunted Museum Tours, 7-10:30 p.m. In keeping with an over ten year long tradition, the Louisiana Country Music Museum will be converted into a spectacularly spooky dwelling inhabited by ghosts and goblins of all kinds for the Halloween season. The staff at Rebel SHS works closely with the community to provide a safe atmosphere for local families and children to enjoy the Halloween holiday including a child friendly rope maze and hayride. For more information call 888-677-3600 toll free or 472-6255 locally.

Oct. 19, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, Natchitoches – Haunting of Fort St. Jean Baptiste, 7-9 p.m. Come encounter a thrilling adventure of 18th century spooks based on legends and stories of happenings in colonial Natchitoches. For more information call 888.677.7853 toll free or 357.3101 locally.

Oct. 19 & 26, Hodges Gardens State Park, Florien – Haunted Garden Tours, 7 p.m.  Join the site staff to venture through the gardens with ghosts and goblins. There will also be food, fun and scary movies on the big screen. For more information call 800.324.3523 toll free or 586.3523 locally.

Oct. 19, Hodges Gardens State Park, Florien – Moonlight Barge Tour, 8 p.m. Join the park ranger for a tour around the lake by the light on the moon on the Sundancer barge. This tour will give visitors a unique opportunity to see the three islands and view the lower level of the gardens from a different perspective. Please call ahead to reserve a seat. For more information call 800.324.3523 toll free or 586.3523 locally.

Oct. 19, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, Natchitoches – Night at the Museum, 5-6 p.m. This program will host different subjects including historic events, special topics associated with daily life of French Marines and family, and other various demonstrations. For more information call 888.677.7853 toll free or 357.3101 locally.

Oct. 24-26, Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, Pineville – Scottish Highland Games, 5-7 p.m. and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This program highlights the popular Scottish Highland Games with typical activities such as the caber toss, stone put, hammer throw and sheaf toss. A pre-event ceilidh (a social event for the participants with traditional music and games) will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday. Highland cows will also be on display. For more information call 888.677.7437 toll free or 484.2390 locally.

Oct. 25-26, Rebel State Historic Site, Marthaville – Rebel’s 12th Annual Haunted Museum Tours, 7-10:30 p.m. In keeping with an over ten year long tradition, the Louisiana Country Music Museum will be converted into a spectacularly spooky dwelling inhabited by ghosts and goblins of all kinds for the Halloween season. The staff at Rebel SHS works closely with the community to provide a safe atmosphere for local families and children to enjoy the Halloween holiday including a child friendly rope maze and hayride. For more information call 888-677-3600 toll free or 472-6255 locally.

Oct. 26, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, Natchitoches – Recreation of 18th Century Bread, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Interpreters will use modern materials to recreate 18th century bread and bake it in a replica 18th century por la pan (bread oven). Recipes will be available and staff will discuss the ingredients being used and how they compare to the original baker’s recipe. For more information call 888.677.7853 toll free or 357.3101 locally.

Oct. 26, Marksville State Historic Site, Marksville – Prehistoric Mound Tour, 10 a.m. & noon. Site manager, Doyle Jennings, will conduct tours of the prehistoric mounds and demonstrations of the area and daily tasks. The Marksville mound site was an important American Indian ceremonial center over 2,000 years ago, established sometime around 100 B.C. by the Hopewell Indian culture and extended until approximately 430 A.D. For more information call 888.253.8954 toll free or 253.8954 locally.

Oct. 26, Fort Jesup State Historic Site, Many – Halloween at the Fort, 6:30-9 p.m. This program will begin with a historic hayride with stops at scenes of early military life in the 1820s. The hayride will conclude at the old kitchen building where guests are invited to participate in period games and crafts, such as apples on a string, and Halloween decorating. For more information call 888.677.5378 toll free or 256.4417 locally.