Artillery School at Fort de Chartres to feature nighttime cannon firing

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The brilliant muzzle flash of a 1700s cannon after dark will be a special feature of this year's Artillery Safety School, "Firing Into the Night," to be held Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site near Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. The event is free and open to the public.

The two-day event features re-enactors moving, loading and firing artillery pieces from the 1700s. Various period artillery companies will participate in classes and drills relating to period cannon firing. This activity is limited to the participants but visitors are welcome to observe the activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Then, on Saturday, September 12 at about 7 p.m., several cannons will be loaded in preparation to fire from the fort's embrasures (cannon openings) at sundown. Visitors are encouraged to bring their cameras for this rare photo opportunity.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday the command "Aux Armes" (to arms) will be given, and preparations will be made to fire the fort's 6-pound cannon. This demonstration will allow visitors to ask questions about the cannon, such as why is it called a 6-pound cannon when it weighs 1,500 pounds and is about 7 feet long? Everyone will then be moved outside the fort walls to see the firing of several cannons through the wall, individually and as volleys of several cannons at once. Visitors to the evening event are advised to bring a flashlight. Due to the nature of the event, special precautions will be made and enforced to ensure a safe and successful event.

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency www.Illinois-History.gov, is located four miles west of Prairie du Rocher and 37 miles south of Belleville. Take Route 3 to Route 155 and follow the signs. For more information call (618) 284-7230, email ftdchart@htc.net, or visit www.ftdechartres.com on the web.