By LOUISA DANIELSON

For the Northwest News

Tom Wojcinski is organizing Nouvelle Annee, to be reenacted from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Old Fort, 1201 Spy Run Ave., Fort Wayne. Wojcinski, of Hammond, is president of Les Garnisons des Pays d’en Haut (The Garrison of the High Country), a historical reenactment group that explores the history of the French Colonial troops, trappers, traders and inhabitants who made their homes in the New World.

There will be skits, demonstrations of life skills, portrayals of key individuals, and more. Admission to the public is free.

The Fort Wayne region was part of the French New World in the earlier half of the 1700s. French-supported Fort St. Phillippe and Post des Myammia were centers of commerce for the fur trade.

“It’s helpful to pick a specific date (for historical reenactment),” Wojcinski explained. This allows reenactors to have a “this has just happened” feeling, and it helps them organize a series of events. It also gives visitors something new to see every year. Last year, the focus was on life in 1742.

This year the focus is on 1743 and events that were looming on the horizon for the inhabitants of the French New World. Wojcinski explained that the king of France essentially said, “This is costing me too much money.” His resolution was unique.

According to Wojcinski, Louis XV decided to auction the French trading posts to private citizens, who would then pay the government a yearly fee and keep the excess. A French military presence would remain at the posts and the government would gain a steady income from the new owner who would pay his annual fee, whether he made a profit for himself or not.

“The whole idea is to make the government money,” Wojcinski said. In real life, the fur trading post in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was the first to be auctioned. More posts, including the Fort St. Phillippe/Fort Wayne area, were to be sold later on.

The new owner of the post could decide who would trade and who could not; and for the locals, the decision could be life-changing. This is where the event opens — as occupants of Post Myammia is awaiting the arrival of their new post supervisor.

If you are concerned about understanding the French spoken in the New World, fear not. Wojcinski said that some of their re-enactors speak French, others do not. To communicate best, they mostly use English.

Expect to see “a slice of life,” Wojcinski said.