New Par-en-Bas festival July 11-27

By Eric Bourque

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

The activity schedule for the inaugural Festival acadien international de Par-en-Bas was released June 3, a little over a month before the festival’s official opening on July 11.

Described as a fusion of four festivals in Yarmouth County – festivals that had annually featured a variety of activities in Amirault’s Hill, Ste-Anne-du-Ruisseau, Wedgeport and West Pubnico – the newly named event will be held over a two-and-a-half-week period.

The festival’s opening ceremony – on Friday, July 11 – will take place at the municipal office in Tusket.

A festival-opening concert is scheduled for that evening in West Pubnico – under a big tent at the Village historique – with fireworks to follow.

Fireworks are planned for the festival’s final day too, this time in Wedgeport, where the festival will wrap up Sunday evening, July 27, with an outdoor concert featuring, among others, Grand Derangement.

There will plenty of activities between the festival’s opening and closing days. Including a good deal of musical entertainment – Dwight d’Eon is among the scheduled festival performers – and there should be lots of food.

The activity list includes, to cite just some examples (and in no particular order) a children’s parade and bazaar in West Pubnico, the building of a haystack – and related activities – in Amirault’s Hill, a pickerel fishing tournament and a car rally in Ste-Anne-du-Ruisseau and historical presentations in Wedgeport.

Also part of the festival are activities ranging from a triathlon to a quilt exposition (both in West Pubnico) to a turkey supper and musical evening (both in Amirault’s Hill).

A more coordinated approach to planning festival activities is viewed as a better way of showcasing the local area’s Acadian heritage and culture.

Previously, festivals in different parts of Yarmouth County – specifically the Municipality of Argyle – had operated separately.

According to a statement issued in conjunction with the release of the schedule of activities for the new, expanded festival, “Organizers are beaming with satisfaction at the numerous possibilities offered to the community as well as to visitors.”

The Par-en-Bas festival, meanwhile, will be coming to an end around the time Clare’s Acadian festival – the region’s oldest and traditionally biggest – is getting started.

Together, the Clare festival (scheduled this year for July 26 to Aug. 15) and Par-en-Bas will make up a five-week period of festival activities throughout the Acadian communities of southwestern Nova Scotia.