A New Year's tradition for more than 280 years

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The New Year's celebration started in 1722 by some of the state's earliest settlers will be held Thursday, December 31 at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site and in the nearby town of Prairie du Rocher.

La Guiannee, the traditional French New Year's celebration, runs from 8 to 10 p.m. at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site. Traditional French holiday carols will be sung and refreshments served. The La Guiannee Singers will perform at the fort as part of their roving tour of the Prairie du Rocher area.

In a tradition dating back to the early 1700s, the La Guiannee singers will visit houses in the early French town of Prairie du Rocher and sing for the residents. As part of the tradition, the residents provide refreshments for the singers at each stop.

The New Year's celebration is free and open to the public. It is cosponsored by Fort de Chartres and the Prairie du Rocher La Guiannee Society.

For de Chartres State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a recreation of the mid-1700's fort from which the French governed the entire Illinois territory. It is located four miles west of Prairie du Rocher on State Route 155.