All Arts and History in Missouri

Jour de Fête – Ste. Genevieve’s Grand Celebration Every year on the second full weekend in August, the streets of Historic Downtown Ste. Genevieve transform into a vibrant marketplace and festival ground for Jour de Fête—southeast Missouri’s largest and most beloved outdoor crafts fair. This spectacular two-day celebration draws thousands of visitors who come to experience the perfect blend of artisan craftsmanship, delicious food, live entertainment, and the unique historic charm that only America’s oldest town west of the Mississippi can provide. A Feast for the Senses With over 150 vendors lining the historic streets, Jour de Fête offers an unparalleled shopping experience for lovers of handcrafted goods and unique artisan work. Stroll beneath the shade of century-old trees as you discover an impressive array of arts and crafts: hand-thrown pottery, custom jewelry, woodwork, paintings, textiles, metalwork, folk art, home décor, and so much more. Each booth represents the passion and skill of talented craftspeople, many of whom have been returning to Jour de Fête year after year, making it a beloved tradition for vendors and visitors alike. Whether you’re searching for a one-of-a-kind gift, looking to add to your art collection, or simply enjoy browsing beautiful handmade items, you’ll Read more…

Where: Historic District Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 800-373-7007 573-883-7097 A family-friendly, living history event! Come explore the traditions of the “School of the Soldier.” This is a fully packed weekend of lectures and camaraderie with plenty of events to see. On Saturday, attend a public heritage auction of discovered “desirables” – memorabilia, collectibles, “accouterments,” utensils, and “watcha-may-call-its.” In addition, Ste. Geneviève has the greatest concentration of original French colonial buildings in North America. Plus it is the only surviving French colonial village in the United States. At Ecole du Soldat activities of that early era are reenacted. Read more…

La Guiannée – Where Sainte Geneviève’s 250-Year-Old New Year’s Eve Tradition Shares Deep Roots with Louisiana’s Rural Mardi Gras Through Ancient French Begging Songs Every New Year’s Eve for over 250 years, something extraordinary happens in Sainte Geneviève’s historic district that directly connects Missouri’s oldest French colonial town to the rural Mardi Gras traditions of Mamou and Iota, Louisiana. As darkness falls on December 31st, a troupe of costumed revelers—dressed in bizarre and archaic 18th and 19th-century attire, some masked in grotesque fashion reminiscent of Louisiana’s courirs de Mardi Gras—emerges to wander from business to business, home to home, singing an ancient French begging song that, according to fiddler and French music expert Dennis Stroughmatt, shares actual lyrics with the Iota Mardi Gras song. This isn’t coincidental similarity; it’s evidence of common cultural ancestry connecting these seemingly distant French traditions through centuries-old songs brought to North America by French colonists and preserved in isolated pockets where French culture remained strong enough to resist complete assimilation. “Bonsoir le maître et la maîtresse, et tous les gens de la maison” (Good evening master and mistress, and everyone who lives here too) begins the song that’s been chanted in Sainte Geneviève since the Read more…

Masquerade on Main – Where Every Visit Becomes a Photo Adventure In a town steeped in genuine history, Masquerade on Main offers something delightfully different: a chance to create your own alternate reality through the magic of creative photography. This isn’t a museum where you observe from a distance—it’s an interactive experience where you become the star of your own imaginative photo shoot, surrounded by elaborately themed scenes that transport you to different worlds, eras, and fantasies. A Playground for Your Imagination Masquerade on Main features multiple meticulously crafted scenes, each designed to spark creativity and provide the perfect backdrop for memorable photos. Whether you’re traveling solo, with friends, as a couple, or with the whole family, you’ll find scenes that speak to your personality and sense of fun. Current Scenes to Explore: Old-Timey Scene: Step back into a bygone era with vintage props and settings that evoke the charm of early Americana. Perfect for sepia-toned nostalgia and classic portrait vibes. Goth / Cathedral Scene: Embrace your dark romantic side in this atmospheric setting featuring dramatic Gothic architecture and cathedral-inspired elements. Ideal for those who appreciate the beauty in shadows and the elegance of Victorian darkness. Saloon: Saddle up to Read more…

About the Museum Learning Center:  If you’re looking for something that will dazzle you to see in a small town, be sure to stop by the Museums Learning Center (otherwise known as the “Dinosaur Musuem.”  This place is one huge labor of love and a microcosm of what makes this community special.   Your adventure starts in the hall of giants, a room full of massive life-like dinosaur and other Cretaceous Period animal replicas.  Surrounding those are shadow boxes filled with actual fossils from different periods.  On the west end of the hall is a glassed-in room where live Archaeologists periodically work in front of visitors scrupulously chiseling away the clay around the bones of the Missouri dinosaur.  The next layer of exhibits centers around the fossils of that now-famed dinosaur and the current dig happening just south of Sainte Geneviève.  The entire upstairs moves more toward modern times and focuses on interesting collections from a variety of topics, from Civil War Battlefields, to the objects found buried in the outhouses that used to reside in the yards of early St. Louisans.  The story that you won’t get that makes this so impressive is the collections on display, and the dinosaur Read more…