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Kaskaskia, IL

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

ListCalendar

Upcoming This Year

Jul

4

Ceremony

Kaskaskia Liberty Bell Ringing Ceremony

Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial, Kaskaskia Island, IL

An annual July 4th ceremony at the Liberty Bell of the West shrine on Kaskaskia Island. The historic bell, given to the Kaskaskia mission church by King Louis XV of France in 1741, was rung to celebrate George Rogers Clark's bloodless capture of Kaskaskia on July 4, 1778. Local officials and community members ring the bell and commemorate this pivotal moment in the American Revolution.

FreeJuly 4th; contact Randolph County Historical Society or the Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial to confirm accessibility and ceremony time.

Oct

Guided Tour

Pierre Menard Home Heritage Day

Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site, Ellis Grove, IL

Periodic open house and heritage programming at the Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site, one of the finest surviving examples of French Creole architecture in the Illinois Country. Interpreters discuss early American settlement in the region following George Rogers Clark's conquest, the role of French Creole families in the Revolution, and the transition from Virginia's Illinois County to American statehood.

FreeThe home has seasonal open hours; special heritage events vary by year. Contact the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency or site directly to confirm scheduled programming.

Dec

Reenactment

Noël aux Chartres — Colonial Christmas at Fort de Chartres

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, Prairie du Rocher, IL

A holiday-season living history event at Fort de Chartres re-creating an 18th-century French colonial Christmas celebration. Reenactors portray period holiday customs including candlelight tours, French colonial music, traditional foods, and Catholic religious observances reflecting the culture of the Kaskaskia-area French Creole communities that allied with Clark and the American cause.

FreeTypically held on a weekend in early to mid-December; exact dates vary. Contact Fort de Chartres State Historic Site to confirm.

Earlier This Year

Jun

7

– 8

ReenactmentFeatured

Fort de Chartres Rendezvous

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, Prairie du Rocher, IL

One of the Midwest's premier 18th-century living history events, held at the reconstructed French colonial fort near Kaskaskia. Hundreds of reenactors portray French colonial soldiers, fur traders, and Native Americans. Features black-powder demonstrations, period crafts, trade goods, tomahawk throwing, and authentic camp life from the French and British colonial era that set the stage for Clark's 1778 campaign.

Free; donations acceptedTypically held the first full weekend in June; exact dates vary by year. Check Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for current schedule.More info →

Feb

Reenactment

Fort de Chartres Winter Rendezvous

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, Prairie du Rocher, IL

A smaller winter living history encampment at Fort de Chartres featuring 18th-century reenactors in cold-weather camp settings. Participants demonstrate winter survival skills, cooking, and crafts of the French colonial and early American frontier period relevant to George Rogers Clark's famous winter campaigns in the Illinois Country.

FreeTypically held in February; exact weekend varies. Contact Fort de Chartres State Historic Site to confirm dates.