YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—The third annual Rochambeau Festival will commemorate French General Rochambeau and the critical role his army played in aiding America’s independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution.
The Rochambeau Festival on May 17 and 18 is an immersive experience that educates attendees about pivotal Revolutionary War and Franco-American Alliance events in U.S. history. Visitors can meet Generals Rochambeau and Washington and learn about the locations of the encampments in New York state and what happened in Westchester and Rockland counties.
Families can join an encampment setup, drill with model muskets, and greet animals of the day, including oxen, which will demonstrate heavy hauling. Kids can enjoy colonial crafts and participate in butter, cheese, bread, milk, and candle making. A bus from Rochambeau Park will take visitors on a guided tour of Yorktown’s historic French army encampment sites. Families can join the History Hunt and win a prize. Guests can wander the spacious grounds, visit exhibits, and enjoy French and American food and beverages.
The two-day festival takes place at Rochambeau Park, also known as Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds, in Yorktown Heights—one of the locations where French forces camped in 1781 and 1782 when the area was known as Crompond. The site was dedicated to General Rochambeau on Sept. 18, 1954.
The festival runs both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests are asked to pay $15 per carload for all-day parking.
The event is produced by the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission (YHPC) and the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route–New York Inc. (W3R-NY), in partnership with the Yorktown Grange P of H No. 862.
“We are excited to produce a festival where everyone can dive into the history that happened right here in our backyards and learn about the crucial role that Rochambeau and the French Army played in aiding Washington and the Continental Army in the fight for our independence,” said Lynn Briggs, chair of YHPC/Yorktown 250/W3R-NY.
Grange Master Mark Franks said, “We are proud to help create state, county and local awareness of Rochambeau Park, this historic Revolutionary War site.”
Article courtesy of W3R-NY/YHPC/Yorktown 250
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