OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department will host the annual Festival at Fort King on Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St. The event is free and open to the public.

Festival at Fort King offers guests a chance to step back in time and experience life at the fort during the 1800s. Local history will be brought to life through periods camps, demonstrations and a full reenactment of the events that ignited the Second Seminole War.

Visitors can enjoy live Florida folk music performed by 7 Lbs. of Bacon both days, along with food trucks, historic homesteading demonstrations and Florida historic nonprofits and heritage groups.

Itinerary of Events:

  • 10 a.m. – Gates Open
  • 10:30 a.m. – Scales, Tails and Teeth Program
  • 11 a.m. – Hand-to-Hand Combat Demonstrations
  • 11:30 a.m. – Lecture by Charles Kimball on Florida’s Territorial History
  • 12:30 p.m. – Scales, Tails and Teeth Program
  • 1 p.m. – Seep Spring Talk and Walk
  • 1:30 p.m. – Iron Horse Dancers
  • 2 p.m. – Re-enactment: Attack at Fort King
  • 3 p.m. – Festival Concludes

Cannon and musket firing will take place throughout the day as part of demonstrations and reenactments.

Parking will be available at the Duke Energy power line field between NE 43rd Avenue and NE 44th Avenue on the north side of E. Fort King Street, approximately one-quarter mile east of the fort. Free shuttles and trams will run continuously throughout the event for guest drop-off and pick-up. An ADA tram will also be available.

For more information, call 352-401-6980 or visit www.ocalafl.gov/fortkingfestival.

About Fort King National Historic Landmark

Fort King is a 40-acre National Historic Landmark home to a life-size reconstruction of the fort and block houses that served as the location that ignited the Second Seminole War in the 1830s. Today, the reconstruction of Fort King serves as an ongoing exploration of Ocala’s past. Also on site is the Fort King Visitor’s Center, offering displays and artifacts that help bring history to life; the David Laffey Heritage Garden, a teaching garden that is open to the public year-round; a mile-long hiking trail with interpretive signage detailing the history of the land; and the Daughters of the American Revolution memorial site. Fort King is owned jointly by the City of Ocala and Marion County, with funding assistance and support from the Fort King Heritage Association. For more information about Fort King, visit www.fortkingocala.com.