Prairie State Wire

The Fort de Chartres Rendezvous, a well-known annual event in Randolph County, is scheduled for June 1 and 2 at the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 2.

Key attractions include a flintlock muzzleloader shooting competition, period food and drink, entertainment, artisan and craft demonstrations, 18th-century children's games, militia and military events, among others. The Rendezvous is free to attend; however, special event parking costs $5 per car. Donations are also welcome. The site is located at 1350 Illinois Route 155, approximately four miles west of Prairie du Rocher.

The Fort de Chartres State Historic Site commemorates the location of the last of three forts named "de Chartres," built by the French during their colonial occupation of present-day Illinois in the 18th century. The third fort was constructed in the 1750s and served as the French seat of government and primary military installation in the Illinois Country. The historic site includes a reconstruction of parts of this third fort and was designated a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s before being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The Rendezvous is organized by Les Coureurs des Bois de Fort de Chartres and sponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres along with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which manages the historic site.

For more information about the Rendezvous, call 888-699-FORT or email lesamisdufortdechartres@gmail.com. For details about the site itself, call 618-284-7230.