STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Living history interpreters will recreate an 18th century militia muster during a free event at the Fort Dobbs Historic Site in Statesville.

The presentation on Saturday and Sunday will feature musket firing, cooking and other parts of military camp life. Visitors will be invited to join the ranks and learn marching drills each afternoon.

Able-bodied men ages 16 to 60 were required to serve in the militia in the North Carolina colony in the 1750s, and they gathered several times a year for training.

Fort Dobbs preserves and interprets the history of the fort and North Carolina’s role in the French and Indian War. It’s the only state historic site associated with the war, which lasted from 1754 to 1763.