STE. GENEVIEVE JOUR DE FETE CELEBRATION MARKS 26TH YEAR

STE. GENEVIEVE The 26th edition of the famed Jour de Fete celebration in Ste. Genevieve, will take place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10-11.

For 363 days of the year, tourists come to Missouri's oldest city to see its startling array of vertical log houses, put up by the pioneer French when the town was still a Spanish settlement. But the second weekend in August brings visitors to see what Midwestern craftsmen and artist have been up to.

Last year nearly 700 artists and craftsmen displayed their wares in a mile-long avenue of booths that stretched from the upper end of Main Street to an oasis of greenery on the far side of "Le Petite Gaborie" Little Gaborie Creek.

The largest exhibit area is on the edge of "Le Petite Champ" the Little Field. That is where the pioneer French settlers blocked off their fields to raise crops.

The old houses will be open as well. They are: the Amoureux, Bequette-Ribault, Bolduc, Bolduc-LeMeilleur, Felix Valle, Green Tree Tavern, Guibourd-Valle, Price Brick and others.

Combination tour tickets will be on sale at the Great River Road Interpretive Center, Main and Market streets. Visitors may stroll through the old cemetery to visit the graves of those who built those ancient houses. The Ste. Genevieve Museum and the Church of Ste. Genevieve are other landmarks.

The proceedings will start at 10 a.m. Aug. 10, when two pioneer Ste. Genevieve families will be honored during the opening ceremonies at the Interpretive Center. The descendants of Joseph Aubuchon, who moved from French Canada to Kaskaskia, Ill., shortly after that town was founded in 1703, will be recognized.

Also being honored will be the Naeger family. Mathais Naeger came to Ste. Genevieve some time prior to 1846, and dozens of his descendants will be in the audience Aug. 10

More than a dozen food booths will be open for business both days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The town also has several highly acclaimed restaurants which will have extra help to feed the visitors.

Streets in the downtown area, where the celebration will focus, will be blocked off. Visitors can park their cars in well-marked shopping plazas along U.S. Highway 61, where shuttle buses will provide free rides to Jour de Fete every few minutes throughout both days.

Ste. Genevieve was founded about 1749.

Additional information is available from the Interpretive Center at (314) 373-7007.