Visit La Compagnie at an event this season!

Named for Alexander Faribault, who built a trading post there in 1826, the city of Faribault is regarded as one of the most historic communities in Minnesota. On Saturday, we’ll be right there in Central Park — next to the midway rides and the band shell — with a 20-foot long replica “north” canoe, a wide array of trade goods and furs, plus some colorful characters. Come and learn more about how the fur trade and the entire Faribault family encouraged settlement and commercial activity in the decades before Minnesota’s establishment as a US Territory. (9:00am-4:00pm, FREE, family-friendly event) 

Join in a midsummer evening celebration of St. Jean Baptiste, patron saint of French Canadians, with a rendezvous of music, games, a bonfire, and more! The Fête de la St. Jean Baptiste is Quebec’s national holiday, always celebrated near the summer solstice on June 24. Celebrate a day early with family friendly activities that include live music, children’s games, an evening fire with marshmallow roasting, and guides who will lead discussions and answer questions about Minnesota’s French-Canadian heritage. La Compagnie will be there as well with our unique blend of fun hands-on activities and fur trade interpretation. (Sunday 5pm – 7pm, family-friendly event, FREE!  For more information: Fête de St. Jean Baptiste Rendezvous

This is one celebration you do not want to miss! Music, dancing, games, demonstrations and hands-on workshops ensure an exciting weekend! Just outside the main gate, La Compagnie’s winterers camp is filled with dozens of La Compagnie members and all the hustle and bustle of rendezvous activity. Inside the kitchen, La Compagnie cooks demonstrate how the partners of the North West Company ate well in the latest fashion for rich and sophisticated meals. Learn for yourself how voyageurs, clerks, agents, partners, and American Indians lived in the late 18th century at Grand Portage. Come and experience the fur trade brought to life! (Second full weekend in August, Friday through Sunday, 9:00am to 5:00pm daily, FREE, family-friendly event) For more information: Grand Portage Rendezvous Days

This annual gathering is not only one of the biggest and most grand celebrations of the fur trade year, it’s one of La Compagnie’s favorites. Visit our bustling camp along the historic Snake River. Explore our colorful trade goods display, identify the furs that were traded, maybe start a camp fire with flint-and-steel. Join us for a paddle on the river in in our huge replica Montreal canoe, or maybe kick up your heels in a lively paddle dance on Saturday night. Cheer for our voyageurs as they demonstrate the reliability of their muskets, vie for the title of the best all-around voyageur, or demonstrate their cooking expertise in the wild rice cooking contest. (Third full weekend in September; Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday 10:00-4:00pm; Cost: $12.50 adults, $10 seniors and college students, $8 ages 5-17, MNHS members save 20%) For more information: Festival of the Voyageur, Snake River Fur Post