Going to Fort Frederick 18th Century Market Fair (Big Pool, MD), Part 1

Fort Frederick 18th Century Market Fair is an event that takes place in Big Pool, MD every year during the last weekend of April. A couple weeks ago, I went for the second time with some friends in the living history/reenactment realm. Fort Frederick and many similar events include sutlers, blanket traders, reenacting (usually battles that are specific to such sites), and camping. All around, it's a great time and gives one an excuse to dress as though they are straight off the set of Turn or Outlander. Seriously, we spend a lot of time sewing and making this stuff!

So typically, as it works with the group I attend these events with, half of our camping group heads out on Thursday to get the campsite set up, though this year, my friend Sarah and I decided to hotel it. A large part of my reason for deciding to hotel it was the fact that I had a film screening to attend upon my return from Maryland. Since I prefer to be showered for such an event, hotel triumphed over camping in a tent.

Anyway, we arrived at Fort Frederick State Park late Friday night and dropped her dad off at camp where we met up with the rest of our group and hung out for a while. I took a couple cool pictures of the moon (which was gorgeous as it shone through the clouds) and the campfire we had going on.

After the campfire hangout, Sarah and I went to the hotel. Yeah, we really roughed it up this year at the Holiday Inn.

The hotel fitness center

By the way, I do love a hotel with a proper gym. I always pack my resistance bands when I travel because sometimes hotel gyms include a treadmill and a treadmill. And when I do camp at these events (which is most of the time), I often get up early and either jog or walk a trail. If I combine that with resistance bands, I can get in a pretty decent workout. But this particular hotel gym made me very happy. I even met two guys from Jersey in there while working out. They were lifting and I was on the elliptical. They were very nice and together we bemoaned the elevator music they had playing over the gym intercom. Sure we could have put on our headphones and drowned out the incessant noise, but then we wouldn't have been able to talk and moan about the music. Personally, I'd rather talk and moan about the music.

Fort Frederick early in the morning

On Saturday, after getting up super early and putting on our 18th century attire, we returned to Fort Frederick State Park and the campsite. I took some photo and video of the beautiful misty morning that welcomed us there. Dennis also made us some pretty decent coffee over the campfire (if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, you can see the coffee video I captured).

Video of Fort Frederick early in the morning.

Not only did Dennis make us coffee in the morning, but he also cooked us lunch and dinner over the campfire. I will say that the food was phenomenal and Dennis really knows how to cook. We should have him cook for us more often. :D

Lunch brought to us by Dennis

I also took more photos throughout the day and weekend as I walked around, shopped, and hung out with some of the blanket traders and sutlers:

The fort and some of the sutler tents after the event closed on Saturday

Hanging out around another campfire at dusk

Packing to leave on Sunday morning :( I dressed in civilians clothes for the last day due to having an event to attend after getting back from Maryland

Fort Frederick campsite on Sunday morning

My next post will cover the really cool vendors I visited and purchased from, some of whom I knew from previous years and others that were new to me. If you check out the post previous to this one or event my Facebook page and YouTube channel, you can see my chat with the lovely Drunken Apprentice. :)

So I will be bringing more in the next day or two. :)








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