Bonjours mes amis!

I hope you are not badly affected by the excessive rains and flooding. Imagine what it must have been like for the early Vincennes French when there were no levees or floodwalls!

I had intended to set up a Les Habitants gathering in May, but it has been a month, for me, of family health issues and their associated complications. May is a very busy month for most people, anyway, so we will aim for a gathering in June. I'll send out news on that as soon as I know.

First order of Business: SPIRIT-OF-VINCENNES RENDEZVOUS!!! That's Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26. I know that most of you have previous responsibilities those days, some of them associated with Rendezvous. But if there is anyone out there who can volunteer some time to promote Les Habitants de Poste Vincennes and that part of our history, that would be great!! I will have my tent set up at the George Rogers Clark volunteers' camp, which is in front of the GRC Visitors' Center. We'll just make that the Les Habitants de Poste Vincennes "headquarters". If I have any time, I'll make some sort of sign or flag (any volunteer to do that would be great, too!) Also, I hope to make "badges" for Les Habitants volunteers - probably just our name with a fleur-de-lis, laminated and affixed to blue ribbon. We need volunteers to do the following:

* Wander the grounds, talking to people about the group and history and sometimes passing out flyers

* Hang out at the Farmers' Market booth doing the same

* Hang out at the Michel Brouillet Trading Post doing the same and possibly helping there

* Hang out at "headquarters", doing the same.

You get the idea. If you have any time to volunteer at all, that would be helpful, just to get out our information. Also, you are welcome to do any demonstrations you have related to your persona and our early history - that always attracts attention and helps people remember us.

This does, of course, require period clothing. If you don't have any but would like to do this, we can probably come up with something for you, between Les Habitants members and GRC. In fact, if you haven't done period clothing before, this is a great opportunity to try it out! After all, it's a whole great place full of people in "funny clothes"!

I will be at Rendezvous on Friday night, Saturday night (late) and all day Sunday, as I will be working at the State Historic Sites all of Saturday. But you are still welcome to volunteer at the tent whether I'm there or not. Sarina may be around on Saturday.

Please call, write or e-mail me if you can help out !! J

Anyhow, join us for a fun weekend and help add some real, much-needed French flavor to the Rendezvous!

Second order of Business: We, as Les Habitants de Poste Vincennes, have received and invitation from the Alliance for the GRAND OPENING of the NEW VINCENNES FARMERS' MARKET. This will be on Saturday, June 1, starting at 8:30 a.m. Quite a list of celebration is planned, including French Colonial music by Dennis Stroughmatt!!! The intention is to tie the present-day Farmers' Market with old Vincennes French tradition. Where do we come in? All we need to do is show up in period clothing, adding French/Indian flavor to the event. My daughter and I will be there, and the more the merrier. We could also use this opportunity to promote our group and the history. "Badges" and flyers can be put to use again. So, let me know, somehow, if you'd like to come to this. If you don't know until that morning, find me at the event so you can get a "badge".

A HUGE THANK-YOU to Jackie Maddock and Mike Cockerham for their help with the Les Habitants table during the Grand Opening of the McGrady-Brockman Building in April!! It was a terrific event with so many historical site and organization representatives under one roof. We had two beautiful days and loads of visitors!

I hope to see you at Rendezvous and on June 1! A Bientot!

Terri Talarek King, 5240 E. Stagecoach Rd., Vincennes, IN 47591, (812) 726 4431,  leapingfrog55 at yahoo.com