PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Tom Pieper 330-494-6187
Scott Fisher 513-314-4701
www.friendsoffortlaurens.org
For Immediate Release: September 19, 2007

Ft. Laurens Supporters Gather to Dine on 18th Century Feast Bolivar, OH—Supporters hoping to see an eventual replica of the only official U. S. military installation built in Ohio during the American Revolution will converge on the site of Fort Laurens to feast on a 18th century dinner for the non-profit Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation’s Annual Moccasin Roast.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 29, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Fort Laurens State Memorial, just south of State Route 212, on Ft. Laurens-Strasburg Road in Bolivar, exit 93 off I-77.

Officially called a Moccasin Roast by the Foundation, the eventful evening and dinner is a reminder of the food shortage and suffering experienced by the soldiers who served at Fort Laurens. Historical accounts claim “the conditions inside Fort Laurens had become so bad, that the soldiers, after being forced to live on one half a biscuit a day, were compelled finally to wash their moccasins and broil them for food.”

“Unlike 1778-1779, nobody will leave this event hungry,” said Foundation Trustee Scott Fisher. “And there really will not be any moccasins served at the event. As it has been in past years, those in attendance can expect another excellent 18th Century dinner cooked on site which will feature the favorite dish of many, Maple Corn Pudding.”

Guests have been asked to bring non-perishable food items to the event which will be distributed to the Coshocton Corp of the Salvation Army in Coshocton, Ohio. Fisher said the Foundation has raised over 500 pounds of food products at the annual event for the past four years which were then donated to various non-profit organizations throughout Tuscarawas, Stark, and Carroll Counties.

“Coshocton was an extremely important Indian village to the Ft. Laurens soldiers, “ said Fisher. “In 1778 and 1779, it was the Delaware Indians’ headquarters or capital. Due to the lack of food inside Ft. Laurens, soldiers were sent to ‘Goshachgunk’ to trade for corn, venison and other food products with the Delaware. Now, 228 years later, representatives from Fort Laurens will return the favor to the citizens of Coshocton by donating what we hope will be several hundred pounds of food for those in need.”

Tickets to the event cost $30 per adult and $10 for children under the age of 16. Reservations are encouraged, said Fisher, and can be made by calling 330-837-3215. The event will be outside but under tent, so the show will go on rain or shine. In addition, a silent auction of both historically related and modern products and services will be held.

For more information on the Friends of Fort Laurens effort to rebuild Fort Laurens please visit www.friendsoffortlaurens.org or call Scott Fisher at 513-314-4701.

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