Fort de Chartres Announces Event Changes For 2021

Prairie du Rocher, IL- Les Amis du Fort de Chartres will be recognizing the 300th anniversary of historic Fort de Chartres and 50 years of the Annual Rendezvous at Fort de Chartres this year during the Fort’s 51st Annual Rendezvous, originally scheduled for June 5 & 6, 2021 now rescheduled to be held September 11 & 12, 2021. Currently, Illinois Department of Natural Resources State Parks and Historic Sites are following the state’s Tier 2 guidelines, which allow for groups of only 50 persons or less on site. Due to these restrictions, Les Amis du Fort de Chartres announces the postponement of the much-anticipated Fort de Chartres Annual Rendezvous to the announced September dates. Although the postponement may be a disappointment, an event of this size and importance requires months of planning and volunteer effort. It has been decided by the Fort de Chartres Rendezvous Committee and Les Amis du Fort de Chartres to postpone this event to fit the potential easing of the site’s current COVID restrictions.

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site’s Annual Rendezvous is the largest gathering of its kind anywhere in the Midwest. The event attracts many thousands to the site during this two-day special event. This annual event is presented by Les Coureurs des Bois de Fort de Chartres and sponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres. The Annual Fort de Chartres Rendezvous is made possible through the dedication of the Fort’s many volunteers and support organizations and through donations by businesses and individuals in our surrounding communities. All Fort de Chartres event funds raised thus far will be used to plan and present Fort site events in 2021, once the state of Illinois enters Phase 5 status. We understand that is has been a challenging few years for events at Fort de Chartres, but the health and safety of our visitors and participants is our top priority. The event will be expanded this year, in celebration of its 2020 golden anniversary and in recognition of the 300th anniversary of the first Fort de Chartres. Les Amis and Les Coureurs des Bois de Fort de Chartres will be waiting to welcome visitors, participants, and volunteers to our events in 2021 once site restrictions are eased. Please check out the website, www.fortdechartres.us, for the list of scheduled 2021 events and dates. In the meantime, Les Amis du Fort de Chartres offers our best wishes for everyone’s continued health and safety during the pandemic crisis.

Another popular event, the Fort de Chartres Colonial Trade Faire and Musket & Rifle Frolic – has been cancelled as well. The Colonial Trade Faire, which was was scheduled for April 10^th & 11^th, is an annually held juried event at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site sponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, hosted by the Kaskaskia Company, and features historic interpreters/reenactors, shooting matches, and period games, with reproduction period goods sold by craftsperson and merchants. On top of that - Les Amis du Fort de Chartres regretfully announces the cancellation of the Fort de Chartres Kids’ Day, May 1, 2021 as well. Kids’ Day at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site is an annually held family event sponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres featuring 18th century games, contests and crafts for children, offered free to the general public. Although we are unable to present this event in 2021 due to Fort de Chartres State Historic Site COVID-19 restrictions, we look forward to presenting this event in 2022.

Event status of each of the upcoming scheduled annual Fort de Chartres events will be determined as the year progresses and the state’s COVID-19 mitigation policies are reviewed. Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, which includes its historic Powder Magazine structure widely considered the oldest building in Illinois, is located only an hour from downtown St. Louis, at 1350 IL Route 155, 4 miles west of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources. IDNR protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IDNR sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.

For more site information, call Fort de Chartres State Historic Site at 618-284-7230 or visit www.fortdechartres.us.

Les Amis du Fort de Chartres, “Friends of Fort de Chartres,” is a not-for-profit organization made up of volunteers striving to preserve, protect, and interpret the physical structural and cultural heritage of Fort de Chartres in the 1700s. More information about Les Amis du Fort de Chartres and its efforts sponsoring special events at Fort de Chartres, can be found at http://www.fortdechartres.us/les-amis-du-fort-de-chartres/ and at https://www.facebook.com/LesAmisduFortdeChartres/.