Kaskaskia Island plays host to 49th annual celebration

The 49th annual patriotic Independence Day celebration and ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 4 at the Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial site on Kaskaskia Island.

The event takes place on the lawn between the historic Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and the structure that holds the "Liberty Bell of the West." The bell was given to the French settlers at the village of Kaskaskia by King Louis XV of France in 1741.

Special guests at this Norman Rockwell-type event include former Southern Illinois University President and congressman Glenn Poshard, who will be the keynote speaker, and National Football League Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who was a standout player with the St. Louis Cardinals football team. Chester resident Ed Fisher will portray Illinois' first governor, Shadrach Bond. A commemorative first day postal cancellation, featuring the Liberty Bell of the West, will be available, sponsored by the village of Kaskaskia.

Associate Pastor Justin Massey of St. John Lutheran Church in Chester will offer the Invocation and Benediction. Special patriotic music will be provided by the Chester Municipal Band, conducted by Steve Colonel. Vocal soloist will be Chester High School student Melody Colonel.

A rifle volley will take place, provided by historic interpreters Les Companie Franche de La Marine from Fort de Chartres.

Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, although some seating will be provided. Though a tent will not be provided, the lawn does have a large number of shade trees. There will be a lunch stand on the grounds with plate lunches, sandwiches, drinks and other refreshments.

Sponsors of the event are Kaskaskia VFW Post 3553 of Chester; American Legion Alva Courier Post of Chester; the city of Chester and Chester scouts; the Kaskaskia Church Foundation; and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Organizing the event are Donald Welge, Emily Lyons and Nathaniel Brown, who will serve as master of ceremonies.

The Village of Kaskaskia is the location of Illinois' first capital. In addition to celebrating America's Independence Day on July 4, the gathering recognizes the day that Kaskaskia was captured from British forces during the American Revolutionary War. The Kaskaskia community welcomed George Rogers Clark and his men, bringing the proclamation of independence by the colonies to the western edge of the British occupation in North America. The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial site, administered by the IDNR, is located on an island in the Mississippi River, about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis and just a few miles from Chester. The town was once connected to the state of Illinois as a peninsula, but the Mississippi River changed course in 1881, flooding much of the village and cutting it off from the rest of Illinois.

Today, Kaskaskia is reachable by land only from the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. From St. Mary's, MO, visitors can take U.S. Highway 61 to the Old Channel Bridge, turn east and then follow roadside markers for three miles to the Kaskaskia Bell site.