HEART OF STEELE

Strolling through the grounds July 10 at the Steele County Historical Society (SCHS) Village of Yesteryear felt like going back to simpler, quieter time.  

Visitors of all ages took part that afternoon in activities they would not otherwise experience–ropemaking, wood carving, and everyone’s favorite, axe throwing. 

The people who created those experiences lived for the weekend as Minnesotans did in the early 19^th century. SCHS board president Deb Lustig, who has been part of many rendezvous events since 1995, got her start by attending an event at the Steele County fairgrounds to visit a friend who was participating.  

“I was visiting with her and ended up staying the weekend,” she said.  

The SCHS event was unusual in that the participants typically set up camp in a more rustic area. Everyone wears hand-made clothes; even the lodges are hand-sewn. They make their own bows and quivers, cook over an open fire, wash their clothes in a tub.  

“People don’t realize even as far back as 100, 150 years ago what life was like in Minnesota,” Lustig said. “A lot of the trades have been lost, like bartering and trading… that’s a lost art.”  

Sadly, rendezvous is also becoming a lost art. Most of the people involved in the local group are getting up in years, and not enough young people are joining.  

“I was a single parent, and I didn’t have the money to get into it the way that I wanted,” Lustig said, adding that group members helped her out. “You’d be surprised at the people who will give you things to help get you started.”  

The best way to get to the heart of this unique hobby is by attending an event and asking lots of questions, Lustig said. You can follow Owatonna Rendezvous on Facebook.