Freetrappers planning week-long rendezvous

STERLING — The Beaver Creek Freetrappers wanted to try something new for their rendezvous.

The Spring Rendezvous will be a week-long affair this year, just as the Fall Rendezvous was in October. This spring’s event will kick off Monday and won’t close down again until March 16, said long-time participant. Al Hobbs. It’s a reflection of just how much fun participants have — and how much they want to share with the public, Hobbs said.

For those who are new to the concept, the rendezvous allows participants to travel back in time, to the early-1800s to be specific, by creating an encampment of trappers. And, like those encampments of old, the goal is contests, commerce and fellowship, as independent trappers would have done in the 1800s when they traveled the country’s open areas in search of animals and pelts, then came together in the spring and fall to conduct business and have a good time.

Hobbs said a large part of that good time is competitions in events such as rifle, muskets, pistols, knife and tomahawk throwing, and archery. This year, the archery competition will be old school, meaning bows of wood, and arrows with wood shafts and feathers. Hobbs said the competitions are family-friendly, meaning equipment will be available at no charge for those who want to learn before they compete against others.

Those entering competitions are charged $25 and must be clad in primitive dress to compete, according to the rules of the rendezvous (think: handmade muslin, linen and buckskin). Competitions typically kick off at 9 a.m. and end by 4 p.m., with the most popular days being Friday and Saturday, Hobbs said. While competitions are open, the general public is invited to watch and see how it’s done, Hobbs said.

Modern garb is accepted for visitors during the day, but if you want to stay after 5 p.m. and mingle, you must be clad in period costume, participants said.

Fire pits will be available, as long as the county isn’t in a burn ban when the rendezvous begins, Hobbs said.

Information is available by calling Hobbs at (580) 512-6673, or Club President Toby Butler, (806) 679-9016.