By Hannah Dillon

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

ALBERT LEA — The 28th annual Big Island Rendezvous and Festival returns to Albert Lea this weekend with entertainment, food, activities and period encampments.

The Big Island Rendezvous and Festival is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Bancroft Bay Park.

A handful of entertainers will be performing at the Rendezvous over the weekend, notably Kevin Locke. Locke does hoop dancing, plays Native American flute and tells stories.

Locke is Lakota and Anishinaabe. He returns to the Rendezvous after 22 years for two performances on Saturday.

Other entertainers include Greenwood Tree, Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, the Roe Family Singers and Bob Bovee, among others.

The entertainment will be at the entrance stage adjacent to the food court, and musicians will wander the grounds to give smaller, more intimate performances under the trees. Genres of music represented are Celtic, bluegrass, Gaelic, country, gospel and Cajun.

There are also arts and crafts sold by re-enactors in period clothing. There are artisans from eight states featuring many crafts, such as blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, woodworking and painting, among others.

All sorts of pioneer-era trades and crafts are sold, and the skills of the artists are demonstrated each day.

There are more than 300 tents and campfires in 12 acres to create period encampments in which visitors can shop and listen to entertainment. There are more than 1,200 re-enactors that carry on day-to-day lifestyle as it would have been done over 200 years ago during the 17th and 18th century.

Some notable figures will be around, including Benjamin Franklin and his wife and Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.

Among all the shopping and history, there are also children’s activities such as theater, games, drills, ceremonies, voyageur camps and tepee tours.

A wide assortment of food is available at the Rendezvous. The main food area is near Entertainment Square and items are also served near the voyageur camp, the Bear Claw Inn and smaller items along Trader’s Row.

Two new items this year are gyros and Greek kabobs. Other food options include frybread tacos, bannock and sausage, smoked turkey legs, fresh fried potato chips, kettle corn and buffalo jerky, among other things.

Visitors are asked to park at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds, where they will be shuttled for free to the event.

Tickets to the Rendezvous are $12 for adults, $7 for children ages 6 to 11 and free for children ages 5 and under. A family pass is $25.

Entertainment schedule

Saturday

• 10 a.m.: Greenwood Tree

• 11 a.m.: Dick Kimmel and Adam Granger

• Noon: Kevin Locke, Lakota Hoop Dancer

• 1 p.m.: Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

• 2 p.m.: Pop Wagoner and Bob Bovee

• 3 p.m.: Kevin Locke, Lakota Hoop Dancer

• 4 p.m.: Roe Family Singers

• 5 p.m.: Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

Sunday

• 10 a.m.: Bob Bovee

• 11 a.m.: Roe Family Singers

• Noon: Greenwood Tree

• 1 p.m.: Bob Bovee

• 2 p.m.: Roe Family Singers

• 3 p.m.: Greenwood Tree

—Clover Valley Hoedown will roam the festival grounds