Johnny Appleseed Festival: Cannons, Firearms, & Military

Cannons

A cannon at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

As you may have already guessed, I really like firearms, cannons, and pretty much anything that has to do with gunpowder. It's been a great hobby of mine that I've enjoyed ever since I was very young. Starting out just plinking around with my Father's BB gun, then being taught by my uncle the fundamentals of skeet and trap shooting, those days seem to have inadvertently ignited a passion for the firearms and shooting sports that I now practice and enjoy. Long-distance rifle shooting, iron sights only, is probably my favorite shooting sport when it comes to testing my skills. Clay pigeon shooting and handgun target shooting and plinking follow closely behind.

Firing a cannon at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Video credits: Brett Huguenard

One of the most memorable events that goes on during the festival at the top of every hour is the firing of all of the cannons, especially for me being a fan of almost anything to do with firearms, artillery, and explosions. Even though I've heard the cannons fire every year, it still shocks me and makes me jump (as you might notice in the videos I took...) every time just how loud they really are. It really makes you feel like you're in the colonial days when you're there, especially when you see the fife and drum corps marching on by. In my opinion, I don't know of any other more authentic reenactment of the colonial days, with the exception of course, being Colonial Williamsburg.

A cannon at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

Firing a cannon at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Video credits: Brett Huguenard

Cannonballs and similar ammunition used for artillery during the Colonial days of Johnny Appleseed.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

Firearms

This is a display of rifles that were commonly used during the age of Johnny Appleseed.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

A small arms and ammunition display booth at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Video credits: Brett Huguenard

A display of small arms and ammunition relevant to the age.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

Different types of small arms ammunition for the firearms of the era.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

Early pistols and revolvers of the colonial age when John Chapman existed.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

A Gatling Gun is fired over the river in this video, demonstrating one of the earliest automatic weapons.
Video credits: Brett Huguenard

Military

Colonial Infantryman holds his musket in preparation to fire it for a crowd.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

A Colonial Infantryman fires his weapon over the river at the festival.
Video credits: Brett Huguenard

An early military encampment of a tent and teepee, common to the age of Johnny Appleseed.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

A group of Colonial militia fire their muskets over the river during the Johnny Appleseed Festival.

Video credits: Brett Huguenard

A group of colonial militia men standing near their encampment near the river.
Image credits: Brett Huguenard

The Johnny Appleseed Festival of Fort Wayne, Indiana

I have lived in Fort Wayne all my life and for many of those years I have attended the Johnny Appleseed Festival. Every time I go, I discover something new and exciting about the festival that I didn't know or realize during any of my previous festival-going experiences. I have fond memories of going to this particular festival when I was very young when my parents would take my brother and I. To this day, the coming of the Johnny Appleseed Festival is something I look forward to every year.

One of my favorites aspects of the festival every year is the authentic food that is prepared and served there as it was in the days of John Chapman, or more affectionately known as Johnny Appleseed. The food served at this festival is truly one of things that keeps me coming back year after year. Due to the authentic ingredients used and the cooking-over-a-campfire method practiced by the cooks at the festival, the dishes offered there have that great, old-fashioned and home cooked taste that is so hard to find these days. Our modern methods of cooking can be greatly challenged when compared with foods created in the ways that are practiced during this festival. For myself, one incredibly tasty food stands out above the rest; the cornbread would have to be the real winner at the festival. Served with a lump of hand-churned butter on top, the cornbread at the festival is among the best and most wholesome foods I've every tasted.

For the antique lover, the Johnny Appleseed Festival can be a haven for finding rare and authentic antiques. There are several vendors with pavilions scattered amongst the festival grounds with some selling specialized or categorized antiques, while others sell more of a variety of such items. Whether someone is redecorating their home, attempting to purchase a small piece of history, or buying an antique as a gift, one can surely find it at the Johnny Appleseed Festival.

Every year at the festival, a wide range of minor reenactments can be seen and experienced by all. One of my particular favorites is the firing of the historic cannons on display at the festival. Even though I'm fully aware of just how loud these cannons are, they still make me jump every year. Musketeers in uniform can also be seen wandering around at the festival, occasionally drilling, marching, and sometimes even firing their flintlock muskets into the air, naturally with blank loads.

One of the more interesting crafts I noticed the last time I went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival was the blacksmithing booth that was on display. The workers there were using the same methods as used in earlier days to create items for sale and display at the festival. Just to watch these men and women hammer a piece of raw metal into an everyday useful item was very interesting, yet also educational. Quilt making could also be seen being demonstrated at the festival, and for those quilt collectors, the quilts go on sale when they are completed.

A favorite for many of the festival-goers every year is to see the live bagpipe performers. Playing familiar tunes such as 'Scotland the Brave', 'When the Battle is Over', and 'Reveille' can be heard as the performers march around the festival grounds. Children seem captivated by the sights and sounds of this particular aspect of the Johnny Appleseed Festival, always smiling and waving as the performers march on by them. Wearing the full Scottish attire, the performers play excellently and without tire every year as they entertain the thousands that come to the festival every year.

Whether you are a resident of Fort Wayne, the surrounding area, or perhaps even a more distant traveler, this event is never a disappointment. The men and women that organize, perform, and work at the festival do an excellent job without fail every year. The citizens of Fort Wayne are proud to have this exciting festival hosted in their great hometown, as I know I am. Anyone who has not been to the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I greatly recommend that you come out and see what all the commotion is about when the next annual festival comes around.

-Original Article Written by Brett Huguenard

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Cannons, Firearms, & Military

Cannons

Firearms

Military