TLAC Co-sponsors French Canadian Heritage Festival in Tupper Lake

SAVE THE DATE!

The Tupper Lake Arts Council, along with the Goff Nelson Public Library, and TAUNY, will be sponsoring a French Canadian Heritage Festival to celebrate the French-Canadian roots of many of the residents of Tupper Lake and surrounding communities. TAUNY is a non-profit organization, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, based in Canton, NY. Visit www.tauny.org for more information.

This festival will be held at the Rod & Gun Club on Lake Simond Road, in Tupper Lake on August 23. The afternoon event (from 3-6 p.m.) will feature music, food and crafts demonstrations that reflect the French-Canadian heritage of local residents, and the evening will feature an authentic French-Canadian buffet dinner, and a cash bar, beginning at 6 pm. There will be dancing to the wonderful, authentic French music of "Reveillons!" from Montreal, Canada.

The afternoon event is free of charge. Tickets for the dinner and dancing part of the event will go on sale soon. Watch for more information in the Tupper Lake Free Press, on the radio, and around town, as the event draws near.

So far, crafts demonstrators who will be present at the event include musicians, a wood carver, Yves Gagnon; a traditional snowshoe maker, Rejean Boisvert, and a braided rug maker, Danielle Poitvin.

Please consider offering your musical, arts and craft skills, if you practice a craft steeped in French-Canadian history. Please contact Beth Johnson, at 359-2652 or via email at: bnjohnson@roadrunner.com if you are interested in being part of the event. TLAC is looking for quilters, fly-tying fishermen, chair caners, and any other craftspeople with French-Canadian roots. The main criterion is that the craft is one passed on via family or friends whose origin was in Quebec. TLAC is also looking for food vendors who can offer French-Canadian snacks such as "beaver tails" at the afternoon part of the event.

On the day of the event, the Lake Simond shorefront (across the road from the Rod & Gun Club) will be a popular beaching point for attendees at the event. Consider coming in your kayak or canoe!

The Goff Nelson library is playing a major role in this celebration by taking portraits of local French Canadians. Quite a number of your relatives and friends in Tupper Lake have already stopped by the library to be photographed. TLAC will create a slideshow featuring these portraits and it will play throughout the event. And, at the same time, TAUNY is spearheading an effort to interview many from the elder generation of French Canadian descendants in Tupper Lake. Please contact the library at 359-9421 if you would like to be part of the show and make an appointment to have your photo taken by Linda Auclair, or be interviewed by a representative from TAUNY

And, the library would also like to put together an exhibit for August to celebrate this event: please offer any toys, household objects, clothing, photo albums, prized recipes or any other item that reflects your French Canadian heritage. Call the library to make arrangements to loan these prized possessions.

This great celebration, formally known as "Envoye a Maison" (homecoming) is one of several programs in a 3 state partnership organized in recognition of the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's exploration of the northern United States, his discovery and renaming of Lake Champlain, and the establishment of the first French Canadian settlement in this area. New York, Vermont and Rhode Island are the states participating and funding has been received from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council of the Arts to support these events. Representatives from Goff Nelson Library, TLAC and TAUNY will be joined at the event by a French-speaking presenter, Winnie Lambrecht, who will share stories and conversations in French with the public. Mark your calendar today for August 23 and "Envoye a Maison!"