Every year during the second full weekend in August, my mother and I travel south of St. Louis to the small historic town of Ste. Genevieve, MO. Here we enjoy touring and shopping in the town while it celebrates the Jour De Fete with the second largest open air craft festival in Missouri. Visitors can shop at the many vendor booths that are set up througout the historic disctrict of the town and enjoy live music. Ste. Genevieve was settled in the late 18th century and is the oldest permanent settlement in Missouri. Several of the original homes are open during the festival for free tours.
Some of the more notable goings-on during the festival is the French Marine garrison re-enactors who march through out the town and occassionally stop to discharge weaponry every several blocks. You may tour many of the historical family homes within the district including the Menard-Valle home which also was a small general store. Behind the Menard-Valle home is a historic rejuvinated garden. This is also where you can find several 18th- 19th century historic crafts and the Wild Bird Sanctuary exhibit. This year the Wild Bird Santuary brought a large adult Asian owl, a 4yr old blind Bald Eagle, a full grown adult Screech Owl, an adult Male Albino Burmese Python and an American black Crow names, Asop with them. Asop is especially popular as he is trained to take dollar bill donations from his patrons, fold them and then place them into the box that he is perched on. If he is given a donation larger than $1 then he will give the doner a magnet in exchage! There are also annual duck races sponsored by the Ste. Genevieve Rotary Club. Race participants purchase a plastic duck with a number on it and then at race time the ducks are dumped into a nearby creek where they "race" downstream to the finishline. The first 8 ducks to reach the finish line are posted on a winners board and awarded prizes!
While you are in Ste. Genevieve, you can visit the Ste. Genevieve Winery or make a stop at Oberle Meats (sometimes we do both). Mr. Oberle makes the best sausage I have tasted anywhere around! It is best fresh and still warm from Mr. Oberle's shop off hwy 32. The Winery makes a delicious strawberry wine that I really enjoy. A great place to eat in town is the Old Brick House restarunt. The Jour De Fete is an event that I look forward to visiting every year with my family.