Amid the numerous Fourth of July celebrations set to take place this weekend, Prairie du Rocher is hosting an event Friday with an emphasis on the paranormal.

The Phantom Festival has been an annual occurrence in the community for some time now, with the Randolph County Historical Society taking the reins somewhat recently.

Historical Society President Laurie Umbdenstock – who has also served as a caretaker at the village’s Creole House for nearly four decades – spoke about the event and what folks can look forward to Friday afternoon and evening.

“We started a few years ago,” Umbdenstock said. “The town hosted it, and then the historical society took it over. We have unique vendors and artisans, mostly that are set up as vendors… We have a food truck and other food available, sandwiches and funnel cake, kettle corn, and then we give house tours.”

The event will also feature a variety of entertainment such as fire poi.

A particularly high-profile attraction for the Phantom Festival is an appearance from Troy Taylor, author of numerous books covering the paranormal and unsolved mysteries and proprietor of the American Oddities Museum in Alton.

Umbdenstock said Taylor will be signing books during the event and will also be bringing along a collection of featured items from his museum.

She also said the GRIP Paranormal group will be making an appearance during the festival.

A substantial addition to the event is the “Scavenger Haunt” that will have guests stopping by a number of locations in the community with a curious history or reputation for paranormal activity, such as Fort de Chartres.

“Some of the places that we’re sending them are known to be haunted, which is why we’re calling it the ‘Scavenger Haunt,’ “Umbdenstock said. “The town, whether you believe in that or not, it’s very rich in paranormal activity, whether it’s the location or the history.”

Umbdenstock emphasized how the event serves as a prime opportunity to check out the Creole House in particular – though the highlight of the festival each year is the evening reenactment of the Phantom Funeral.

“It’s a fun way to bring everybody together at the house and see what it’s all about,” Umbdenstock said. “The Phantom Funeral itself has stood the test of time since the 1700s… This is also an anniversary year of that in that, according to the stories, if the Fourth of July falls on a Friday with a bright moon, you have the potential to see the actual Phantom Funeral.”

For those unfamiliar, Umbdenstock offered a retelling of the story, when three individuals late in the evening of July 4, 1890, witnessed a funeral procession traveling down the road near the fort.

They observed the dog in the house barking like mad as the procession passed by, and though they saw a body in the wagon, wheels turning and a crowd walking down the road, no sounds came from the group, and they kicked up no dust as they walked.

Umbdenstock said plenty of instances of paranormal activity or other oddities in this vein have been reported by folks in the Prairie du Rocher area, including herself.

“I, myself, also had something happen on one of those Fridays with a group of people,” Umbdenstock said. “Fog, a dense fog rolled right at midnight across the fort and into town. It was only about waist-high, and over a bean field a horse’s head, like a horse that was rearing up in the air, came up out of the bean field out of the fog. That was super cool. And at the fort, at the stroke of midnight that same time, all of the coyotes in the area were howling, and the minute after, it died and was quiet again.”

She also remarked that, like a bit of an omen, she and others recently saw a horse up in the clouds at a historical society meeting.

While other communities in the area are hosting their own events this weekend to celebrate the national holiday, Umbdenstock noted that folks have an opportunity to experience a real piece of local history in Prairie du Rocher this Friday.

“Y’know, you can see fireworks any time, but this is an actual, historic moment in time, and Prairie du Rocher is very rich in all of that,” Umbdenstock said. “It’s something that is unique to the town and to the fort. I hope people will support it like they support any other historic happening.”

Umbdenstock further spoke to the efforts of the Randolph County Historical Society and all those involved in organizing the event.

The Phantom Festival takes place in Prairie du Rocher this Friday starting at 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Creole House (235 Market Street), with the Phantom Funeral Reenactment taking place at 8:45 p.m.

For more information, call 618-340-3430.