Four members of the Alexander family, (from left) Richard, Kelly, William, and Adam, pose in Mackinaw City Saturday, May 17. They are in authentic, 18th century French and British military garb, which they will wear this weekend in the Fort Michilimackinac Pageant. The clothing is authentic, however, some of the uniforms worn by soldiers who manned the fort in the 1700s were likely a little less sophisticated, the Alexanders said. Owing to limited supplies at what was considered the frontier of European expansion at the time, some soldiers made due will ill-fitting, old uniforms. On Saturday, May 24, Kelly Alexander of Mackinaw City will stand before Fort Michilimackinac dressed in the authentic, creamy white uniform of a 1700s French soldier. As he stands with a troop of his peers, a contingent of British soldiers will march toward him to claim the fort, and in a solemn display, the French reenactors will surrender without a fight, acknowledging defeat in the French and Indian War, and signaling the beginning of a new era at the Straits of Mackinac. The scene sets the stage for the 2008 Fort Michilimackinac Pageant, which highlights a famous battle at the fort in 1763, when Native Americans attacked and defeated the British successors.

The pageant, now in its 46th year, is the largest of many historyrelated activities around Mackinaw City on Memorial Day weekend, when the village is transformed into an historical showpiece. About 25% of village residents will play, or help others prepare for, historical roles representing the era between 1715 and 1763. Hundreds of re-enactors from Michigan and neighboring states will also take part. Two main groups that will be a part of the festivities are the Michilimackinac Voyageurs, and Spirits of the North, who take on voyageur, trader, trapper, and Native American roles.

The pageant relies on a mixture of artistic license, historical facts, authentic regalia, and the technology of the time, Mr. Alexander said.

"The French had the right idea," he said. When they occupied the fort, they offered the Indians gifts, traded with them, and developed a cordial relationship. When they left, the situation declined into a conflict of cultures that serves as the main plot of the pageant.

The new British force viewed the natives with suspicion and treated them as savages. The pageant reenacts the result: a stealthy uprising by the Ottawa tribe under the leadership of Chief Pontiac, who sought to eliminate the British soldiers in the area.

The pageant enables onlookers to glimpse June 2, 1763, as the natives lure the troops out of the fort, setting the stage for a surprise attack by engaging them in a game of baggataway, which is similar to lacrosse.

Indian women on the scene, dressed in large blankets, hide weapons for the braves. As the game proceeds, the ball goes over the wall of the fort, and a British soldier retrieves it. When the ball clears the palisades again, tribesmen are allowed into the fort to retrieve it. When it happens a third time, the natives attack the fort, retrieving weapons from the women as they rush forward to fight the British.

Having served several roles in the annual event since he was 15 years old, Mr. Alexander is well versed in the story.

"It is our history. It is who we are," he said.

Fort Michilimackinac has been rebuilt on the site of the original structure, so standing in the crowd of French soldiers, looking at the walls, the actors see what the soldiers would have seen at the time.

"You get a sense of what it was like, and an appreciation of what we have inherited," he said.

Acareful mix of fun and realism, the pageant portrays harsh scenes common during the struggle for the land, like a scalping scene played by Mr. Alexander's son.

The pageant is a gift to those who watch it, he said.

"I would definitely say that it is an important part of Mackinaw City," he said. "We are a small community, and this is a big deal."

Reenactments help onlookers project themselves into history. When watching the scene at the fort unfold, it is natural to wonder, "If I were there in that time, what would I be doing?" Mr. Alexander said.