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SUBMITTED by Amy Blum (29-Aug-2011)

Visitors Will Experience the “Look” and “Feel” of Historic 17th-Century Event


In 1669, French explorer LaSalle and his 10-man exploration entourage arrived at the bustling Seneca town of Ganondagan, populated by approximately 4,500 Seneca people living in 150 longhouses. On Saturday, September 24 from 10 am – 4 pm at “A Seneca Encounter with LaSalle,” historic re-enactors from throughout North America will transform Ganondagan State Historic Site to the day when this remarkable meeting took place, and the public is invited to attend.

LaSalle meets the Seneca (Photo: Kim Burkard)

Participants will be able to visit with French, Jesuit priests, Seneca, and Dutch traders dressed in authentic 17th-century clothing. They also will be able to test their skills at Colonial and Native games, view the re-enactment of the LaSalle encounter, visit a trading post, take tours of Ganondagan’s bark longhouse, and hike the Site’s trails. Artisans of period crafts—rarely available at any festival—will be selling their works as well as providing demonstrations and information about their crafts. Food will be available onsite for purchase. Thanks to the excellent documentation by the French priest Galinée who accompanied LaSalle, there is a high degree of accuracy regarding clothing, weaponry, and period crafts and trade items.
“Our visitors often try to imagine what it looked and felt like in the 17th-century when Ganondagan was a large, thriving community,” said Ganondagan Site Interpreter and historian Michael Galban. “This living history event provides an incredible opportunity to experience, in sight and sound, a day in 1669 when LaSalle and his contingent were welcomed here by the Seneca people to share their food, traditions, and trade goods.”
Seneca Encounter with LaSalle (Photo: Stephanie Albanese)
Admission prices are: $5/adults; $3/seniors (62+), students (ages 6-18), and Friends of Ganondagan members; free/children 5 and younger. For more information visit www.ganondagan.org/LHE.html or call 585-742-1690. This event is sponsored by the Rochester Area Community Foundation Historical Fund.

About Ganondagan

Ganondagan State Historic Site (www.ganondagan.org) in Victor, NY stands at the location of what was one of the largest, most vital 17th-century Seneca towns until its destruction in 1687.Today, it is a destination for visitors to explore the replica of a bark longhouse and hunting lodge and enjoy self-guided tours through trails on the Site’s 600+ acres. It also acts as a resource for students and educators about the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee, and its message of peace. Every summer, Friends of Ganondagan hosts the Native American Dance & Music Festival, attended by more than 4,000 people from all over the world. Friends also sponsors the annual Canandaigua Treaty Day and presents lectures, workshops, and programs reflecting the vibrancy of a living culture and promoting a sustainable future.

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