This year marks the 39th year the East Otter Tail Historical Society has hosted a Festival on the Pioneer Grounds, and the 30th year that the Lake Country Mountaineers have held their Rendezvous.
Both will be held the third weekend in August on the Pioneer Grounds, a half-mile north of Perham on County Road 8.
The LCM Rendezvous, an 1840 era re-enactment, is scheduled for August 20, 21 and 22. The EOTCHS Heritage Festival will be held one-day only on Saturday, August 21.
Activities for the day will include sawmill demonstrations and a Saturday night dance in the historic Grand View Heights Ballroom.
The Perham Lions will hold a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser and the EOTCHS will provide lunch. Throughout the weekend there will be shooting at the Black Powder Rendezvous and people in period costume wandering the grounds.
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The Pioneer Grounds includes many historic log cabins, including the Westby House, which was moved to the grounds in 1988. Like other historic buildings on the Pioneer Grounds, this one has been held in trust so that future generations can gain a deeper appreciation of the lives of the early settlers.
The East Otter Tail County Historical Society was incorporated in 1966. Some early members were M.J. Daly, Raymond and Carol Fistler, Mary Rice, Vince Drahmann and Sherman Mandt.
In 1998, the Society authorized the formation of the History Museum of East Otter Tail County, a separate entity that owns and operates two museums in Perham.
The Society continues to work at preserving the buildings at the Pioneer Grounds, this year re-roofing the Grand View Heights Ballroom with the help of township donations and labor provided by Youth Build (students of the Perham High School).
For more information on the East Otter Tail County Historical Society please call Mark Lenius at 218 346-6812. For the Lake Country Mountaineers please contact Sherry Marquardt at 218 342-2804.
