Fort George turning back the clock on Christmas
Fort George is turning back the clock 200 years to celebrate a garrison-style Christmas.
“There’ll be decorations, fires will be going in the officers mess, we’ll be making sugar cookies, and there’ll be hot chocolate,” said Dan LaRoche, site superintendent for the Parks Canada historical site.
The Garrison Christmas program is something the fort started celebrating in the 1990s. The two-day celebration, which this year will be held Dec. 8 and 9, is well attended, LaRoche said.
“We usually get between 200 and 300 people out over the two days,” he said.
The event will also include several craft activities suitable for children and adults, including fashioning Christmas decorations from greenery and even creating wrapping paper.
“There will also be musket demonstrations,” LaRoche said.
The event is meant to portray what life may have been like in the fort during the holiday season 200 years ago. Many people think of the fort as a military installation, but it was also home to some families.
“A certain number of those stationed at the fort were allowed to be married,” LaRoche said. “There would have been women and children living there.”
The event is being staged with the assistance of the Friends of Fort George, whose board members help with setting up the event and decorating the Officers Mess, LaRoche said.
The Garrison Christmas program runs from noon to 4 p.m. both days. Regular admission rates to the fort apply. Admission is $11.70 for adults 18 and older, and $10.05 for seniors. Admission is free for kids 17 and younger. Parking is $6.
More information on the Fort George National Historic Site is available at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhnnhs/on/fortgeorge/visit.