Stone’s Trace Pioneer Festival and Regulators Rendezvous will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The festival will be held Sept. 9-10 at Stone’s Trace, located just south of Ligonier. Photo provided by Stone’s Trace Historical Society.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

LIGONIER —  There aren’t many pioneer festivals that are 50 years old. The Stone’s Trace Pioneer Festival is one of the lucky ones as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The festival will be held Satuday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10.

“It will be the same festival, just a bit bigger, but not commercial,” said Jim Hossler of the Stone’s Trace Historical Society.

The Pioneer Festival and Regulators Rendezvous will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10.

Stone’s Trace is located 11/2 miles south of Ligonier at the junction of US 33 and SR 5. Parking is available at West Noble High School with shuttle buses ready to transport visitors across the highway to the festival.

The 50th fall festival will feature the frontiersman and pioneers of northeaster Indiana with long hunters, tomahawk skills, primitive archery, Native American reenactors, craft demonstrators and vendors, 1812 rennactors, a Civil War encampment.

This year there will be two stages at the event. The main stage will remain out front at the tavern. This is where the musicians perform. A second stage will be set up in the Civil War area. This is were five Civil War Generals will be seen. Reenactors will portray General Robert E. Lee; Genera Ulysses S. Grant, General J.E.B. Stuart; General Edward Ord; and General George Meade. A Benjamin Harris reenactor, a native of West Noble, will also be participating in the festival.

A traveling Civil War museum is coming to the festival and will be located in the Civil War area.
There will be new kids games all period correct such as tug-of-war, ring toss and stilts. Librarians from area libraries will be coming to do games on both days of the festival.

A large variety of food will be available on-site including ham and beans, a pioneer stable served with cornbread, apple wedges with caramel and fry chips and fry bread as well as chicken on a stick.

Be sure to bring lawn chairs or a blanket and stay all day and listen to music of the heritage; Paul Mitchell, Liza & Mark and Hand Hewn will perform on Saturday. Visit with Johnny Appleseed as he strolls the festival grounds
The Applejack Cloggers will perform. The Bixby Funeral Letter event will be done by Craig Malone. Abe Lincoln will also take the stage Saturday.

Sunday’s activities will begin with an opening ceremony featuring the National Anthem and flag raising Frontier Gathering with Reverend Hansen and Living Water Church.

Performers for Sunday include Liza & Mark, Brown Bixby funeral letter event by Malone, Brown, Inclognito Cloggers.
The event will close at 4 p.m. with a closing ceremony and a flag lowering.

Pets are not allowed on the festival grounds. Service animals are allowed.

Admission is $8 for those 12 and up. Those age 11 and under are free. For the first time, the festival will be taking credit cards at the gate for admission. There is a nominal service fee for credit card charges.
For more information visit www.stonestrace.com.