Prairie State Wire

The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial will host its 55th annual Independence Day ceremony on July 4 at 1 p.m. The event takes place in the historic village of Kaskaskia, Illinois, which is home to the Liberty Bell of the West. This bell, weighing 650 pounds and cast in 1741, was a gift from France to the Catholic Church of the Illinois Country. It was famously rung by villagers on July 4, 1778, when they were liberated from British control by American Colonel George Rogers Clark.

Located at 203 First St., Kaskaskia, the program begins at 1 p.m., with a food stand opening two hours earlier. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs for seating.

Historian Tim Heggemeier will deliver a presentation titled "George Rogers Clark and his Long Knives Across Randolph County." Additional participants include Rev. Sebastian Ukoh; members of VFW Post 3553 and American Legion Post 487; the Steve Colonel family; Chester Municipal Band; mayors of Chester and Perryville, Missouri; area scout troops; French Marines de Fort de Chartres; and Fort Kaskaskia staff.

Managed by IDNR, the memorial site is located about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis on an island in the Mississippi River. Once connected to Illinois via a peninsula until river course changes in 1881 isolated it geographically. Visitors can access it only through Missouri by taking Highway 61 to Old Channel Bridge then following markers for approximately five miles.