An Unforgettable Meal Rounds Out An Unforgettable Season

Hello all,

On Wednesday, we hosted our annual FSJ community dinner. This was our opportunity to repay the Niles community members who have done so much work to make this project and field school a possibility. We could never do this without the passionate determination and effort of the people of Niles.

From those who feed and host parties for us, to those who attend our lecture series, and the handy people who build ghost structures and install dewatering systems, we thank you. You are all completely invaluable to our experience here. The work you have done not only helped us students, but helped make the Open House last weekend possible AND made an unforgettable experience for the broader community. THANK YOU!

While we all deeply value your commitment and effort, the community dinner also gave us students a chance to see our work pay off. When we played a game of FSJ trivia, it was astounding to see the knowledge this community retains regarding the fort, as well as knowledge about our work.

We know we can never repay all the support you all have provided over the last 21 years. We hope our little dinner at least serves as a symbol of all of the respect and admiration we students hold for the people in this community.

We will be heading back to Kalamazoo today to finish out the field school, but we are eternally grateful to all of the people who made Niles feel like home over the last six weeks. It was great to visit with all those who came out to the community meal on Wednesday, and to all those who couldn't make it: we missed you!

Once again, and we mean this most sincerely and from our collective hearts: THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH!!

Danny and the Whole FSJ Team