By Dale Liesch
The Tidewater News

Roger Steinbach lives like his ancestors.

With a nod to a bygone era, Steinbach and others live like trappers and traders of the early 1800s in gatherings referred to as rendezvous.

This year, the Franklin man won’t have to travel far to join his colleagues, as one of the country’s largest living history displays comes to Carrsville beginning Saturday for eight days.

“It’s great for me, because I live 15 minutes away,” Steinbach said. “I can go home and take a shower if I want to, but I probably won’t.”

The Eastern Primitive Rendezvous will begin Saturday with an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. Gates open at 10 a.m. The event, which focuses on the time from 1640 to 1840, will include about 2,000 re-enactors, said Booshway R. Flick, who’s in charge.

“We just get together and have all of our different lifestyles,” Flick said.

Located at 30330 Holly Run Road Drive, the event will allow visitors to experience knife and tomahawk throwing and an artillery demonstration. Trades including gunsmithing, blacksmithing and clothes making will be demonstrated, in addition to period-style silver and restaurants.

Admission is $5 per person, $2 for seniors 65 or older and free for youth 14 and under.

Groups represented will include Scottish highlanders, Native Americans, Colonials and long hunters.

The event is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 1. However, visitors are only allowed only in the merchant area on weekdays and on the entire site on weekends.