Credit to Kaili Martin
Walking on railroad tracks, junior Isabel Bira holds out her arms to balance herself. Main Street is a common area for people to get food and shop for knick knacks. It is located by the river and has small shops lining the streets.
5. St. Charles Celebrates 250 Years
St. Charles will be hosting its 250th anniversary on May 18 and 19, down on Main Street. The city will be celebrating this anniversary with different events, such as a parade, skits and burying a time capsule to commemorate the event.
“It’s actually pretty crazy, I haven’t really thought about it,” senior Sydney Wise said. “I didn’t realize it was this old.”
Over the past few months, various organizations have been putting up statues of Lewis and Clark’s dog, Seaman, all over the city. These statues are only one example of how St. Charles is celebrating its history, another example would be visitors having the ability to visit the site of the home of the French-Canadian fur-trapper, Louis Blanchette, that first settled in what would become St. Charles.
“People will be able to get a map and be able to find them and take pictures,” Ryan Cooper, the director of the festival, said.
The event is a community effort, with various organizations and businesses all coming together to produce the event. These groups include schools, reenactment groups and merchants.
“This was a big event that we knew people would want to be involved with, so we have little components where famous organizations around St. Charles have been involved,” Cooper said.
This festival is not only a way to bring into light the St. Charles of yesterday, but the St. Charles of today as well.
“It’s important to use this chance to really put St. Charles in the spotlight and really show people around the area and around the country why they should come to St. Charles and see all of the hidden gems and treasures that we have,” Cooper said.