Thursday, September 10, 2015

Colonial Market & Fair Delights with 18th Century Entertainment and Marketplace

It's Magic! (Photo: Mount Vernon)

From our friends at Mount Vernon...

18th-Century Cricket Games, Fire-Eating, Magicians, and More!

Mount Vernon re-creates a lively early-American marketplace with demonstrations, crafts and entertainment at its Colonial Market & Fair on Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, from 9 AM to 5 PM. More than forty juried artisans from across the nation will demonstrate their trades and sell their wares while two stages of family entertainment delight audiences with 18th-century amusements. Try your hand at 18th century cricket! Demonstrations and cricket games will be played throughout the weekend.

Mount Vernon’s Colonial Market & Fair is the most authentic and diverse event of its kind, bringing together distinguished artisans working in colonial attire and a dozen entertainers who re-create the amusements loved by early Americans. As visitors shop, artisans demonstrate their crafts and explain the historic trades used to make items similar to those George Washington purchased in the 18th century.


General Washington will preside over a host of amusements including: Mr. Bayly, Conjuring and Entertainments; Signora Bella, Equilibrist; Professor Thompson S. Gunn, Mystic Arts of Asia, the Far East, & India; and more! Fair fare will be available from the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant concession stands.

Free Potomac River sightseeing cruises are available while supplies last. Costumed interpreters will be demonstrating the 18th-century chocolate-making process using an authentic colonial recipe!

The event is included with regular admission: adults, $17; youth, 6-11 $9; children 5 and under, free. Save one dollar off of an admission ticket by purchasing in advance at MountVernon.org.

Events, programs, and activities are subject to change.

About George Washington’s Mount Vernon:
Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital.

Hours of operation: April - August, 8 AM to 5 PM; March, September, October, 9 AM to 5 PM; November - February, 9 AM to 4 PM.