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Clockwise from top left: Richard J. Gonzalez of Grafton, Carol Boettcher of Cedarburg, and Tom Melville of Cedarburg are all participating at the 3rd Annual Crossroads Rendezvous in Saukville May 20-22, 2022.
The Saukville Historical Society will once again host the Crossroads Rendezvous this May 20-22, 2022 at Peninsula Park in Saukville, in which reenactors from across the Midwest, representing various people of the Fur Trade Era in Wisconsin from 1750-1840, will gather to create a “Living History Experience” for all ages. There are three participants from Ozaukee who are new to the event this year, though they all reside in Ozaukee County.
Tom Melville of Cedarburg, a professional cricket player and historian, will be teaching North America’s first ball game, which has been played here since 1709 and in Wisconsin since the 1830’s, on the Friday School Day, as well as Saturday at the event. Melville is the author of two books on the subject of cricket: The Tented Field: A History of Cricket in America and Early Baseball and the Rise of the National League. Melville spends most of his summer travelling to historical reenactments to share his favorite sport.
Carol Boettcher, also from Cedarburg, will be presenting “The Dancing Master.” Boettcher was a principal performing dancer with a SE WI colonial era dance group for 20 years and a civil war dance ensemble for 10 years. She was the dance instructor for West Side Victorian Dancers for 3 years, a group which raised money for military veteran charities. Boettcher will explore the early American social scene through the prism of dance and the English Dancing Master, demonstrating a minuet and inviting the public to engage in an easy colonial social dance. Her presentations are at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the big tent on the Saturday of the event.
Richard J. Gonzalez, M.A., of Grafton, is a member of the Iroquois Confederation, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, and the Turtle clan. His tribal name “Loliwayntati” means “He Who Brings the Good Word.” He is a Native American scholar/historian/artist and retired school principal who has administered schools within special education, elementary, and middle school levels. Gonzalez will be doing a special lunchtime presentation between 11 a.m. and noon during the Friday School Day on the Fur Trade in Wisconsin.
"We are so lucky to have such dedicated and talented people in our own community," said Mary Boyle, Crossroads Organizer. "I am so excited to have them at the event and to share their experience with visitors."
The Crossroads Rendezvous is hosted by the Saukville Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) organization. Friday, May 20, is a School Day for area students, and runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 21, the event is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, May 22, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to take the free shuttle from U-Haul, located at 835 Green Bay Ave. in Saukville, as parking at Peninsula Park is extremely limited.
For more information, contact Mary Boyle, Co-Organizer, at (262) 288-1839 or info@CrossroadsRendezvous.org, or go to the Crossroads Rendezvous website at www.CrossroadsRendezvous.org, or on Facebook.com/CrossroadsRendezvous.
Originally published on Ozaukee Living Local.
