350th Celebration of the Marquette and Jolliet expedition has something for everyone

By Melissa R. Collum

The 350th Celebration of the Expedition of Marquette and Jolliet Expedition  has everything a weekend outing could ever offer; from performances, to interactive history, immersion into the world of the voyager culture, dancing, and an art fair.
“It is an event for lots of people. People will be excited that there is so much going on and so many choices,” comments Tammie Katzung, Prairie du Chien Main Street Program Manager.
There is an interactive event map on the 350th website (expedition350.com). “There will be carriage rides that will point out the historic places in town,” notes Katzung. There is a historic walking tour map for pick up at the Main Street Information booth.
 Along with the Prairie Villa Rendezvous there will be a Voyager Encampment. The voyagers will be giving talks on the life of a voyager. The encampment will be set up at the Washington Street Park. If you want to experience what voyager life was like, the Clinton County Iowa Conservation will be guiding two of their voyageur canoes though out the weekend. This is one of the few activities that has a cost. Tickets can be booked from the 350th website.
Native Spirit Productions will be on hand and Brian Hammill  will be performing tradition Native dances. The performances are designed to both educate and entertain. By using dance and music combined with oral traditions their presentations are designed to promote cultural as well as personal awareness. The presentations touch on cultural stereotypes as well as a wide range of other useful information.
There is a Medallion Huntthat will take people around town. Clues will be released daily. “Winners will get a 350th Medallion and swag from the event,” notes Katzung. The first clue will be released at 4:00 pm Thursday at the Lucky Park Welcome Tent, on the radio (94.3 FM),  on the 350th Facebook page, and on the website, and at the 350th headquarters.
The 350th event, running from June 16-18, holds so many activities that there are too many to list. On Saturday, an reenactment of arrival of Marquette and Jolliet will happen on the shores of St. Feriole Island.  The Marquette and Jolliet performance continues on Sunday with their departure from Prairie du Chien.
Sunday will cap off the events with a downtown parade starting at 1 pm. The grand marshals of the parade will be relatives of  Joillet.
“It is a chance for local people to experience something that has never been here before. It will provide an opportunity for people to experience a history that has really happened here. I love the fact that we talk about Marquette and Joillet but people are going to get a much bigger picture of what the history was,” notes Carol Roth, Executive Director of Driftless Development.
If you are looking for a family friendly event, that you can come for a day or an entire weekend, the 350th Celebration will have something for every member of the family to experience and enjoy.
A full list of events with details can be found on the 350th  website: expedition350.com/350th-celebration-events