Vive la St-Jean! City readies to celebrate Franco pride

Organizers for annual St-Jean Baptiste day celebrations are welcoming everyone to celebrate French-Canadian culture with them.

Organizers hope more families will join in the festivities. If everyone can be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, why can't everyone be French for St-Jean?

“It is a celebration of who we are as French-Canadians and our rich culture,” said Joanne Gervais, event organizer. “We welcome the community, non-Francophone speaking as well, to join us on this special occasion.”

Festivities take place throughout June and are being kicked off with an outdoor show by Stef Paquette at the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre on June 5 at 10:30 a.m. for students in grades 6 to 8 from the two French-language school boards.

On June 24, St-Jean Baptiste day itself, a commemorative raising of the Franco-Ontarian flag will take place at 10 a.m. at the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury in Hanmer.

Lyse Lamothe, organizing committee member, said June 24 is also an important day for solidarity and expressing Franco-Ontarian pride in schools and around the community.

Activities scheduled for the family include a free pancake breakfast hosted by Desjardins Voyageurs Credit Union at the St-Jean-de-Brébeuf parish hall on June 22 at 10 a.m.

After breakfast, Collège Boréal is hosting a family day with games, cooking classes, carriage tours and prizes. Local entertainer Ami Allain will be taking the stage at 2 p.m. to perform his original songs, including new songs from his latest album, “Mission:imagination.”

The festivities wrap up with the annual Club Richelieu dinner and presentation of the Horace-Viau award, which this year goes to Claude and Claudette Hurtubise, Leïla Reguigui and Carl Roger Aho. The event takes place at the Edgar Leclair Community Centre in Azilda starting at 6 p.m.

For more information about activities visit their website at www.stjeansudbury.ca.