History will take on a subtle glow for the next two Saturday nights as Old Fort Niagara hosts Castle by Candlelight, a living history event lit entirely by candles.
Visitors to the event will tour the Great Lakes’ oldest building, encountering historical characters along the way. Cooks prepare a holiday feast on the hearth using period recipes. A Native American storyteller shares Haudenosaunee history and culture. Soldiers prepare for a nighttime vigil to guard the fort. A Recollect priest reads the Christmas Story in Latin in the Fort’s 298-year-old chapel and an 18th-century silversmith demonstrates his craft as his wares reflect the warm candlelight.
The event also offers an array of hands-on activities. Visitors learn to write with a quill pen, play a period game and make a traditional holiday ornament. Twice each evening, at 7:15 and 8:15, the garrison steps out to perform a nocturnal feu de joie (firing of joy), a rolling fire of muskets and cannons that lights up the night.
The tour is not limited to early American history. Visitors will discover how Christmas was celebrated during the Civil War and visit a World War II camp set in the bleak Ardennes Forest in 1944.
In the fort’s log cabin, visitors can warm up and enjoy hot refreshments, which will be available for purchase. Menu items include bread pudding, soup, hot chocolate, soft drinks, coffee and tea.
Admission to the event is $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased through Old Fort Niagara’s website www.oldfortniagara.org . All proceeds benefit Old Fort Niagara’s educational programs, which serve thousands of school students every year.
For more information, contact the fort at (716) 745-7611 or visit www.oldfortniagara.org .