JAY – The field is nearly mowed. The food has been cooking for days.
Adele St. Pierre is ready for the second annual Terre pis Ciel Festival to go on Saturday at her family’s farm on Route 133 in Jay.
About 600 people attended last year to celebrate Franco-American heritage, St. Pierre said. She is expecting more this year.
She is hoping the annual event will revitalize the heritage and community.
St. Pierre learned last week that the festival was awarded a $1,500 grant from the Maine Community Foundation’s Western Mountains Fund.
She plans to use half the money for entertainment and will save half the money to build a stage for next year’s festival. She plans to rent a stage this year.
Terre pis Ciel, which means earth and sky, is a festival that aims to celebrate the rich heritage, culture and language of the Franco-Americans by bringing all people together for a day of traditional music, food, art and games, St. Pierre said.
Some of the food at the festival will be creton, homemade bread, pets de soeurs – a pie crust wrapped in brown sugar and cream, molasses and chocolate whoopie pies, crepes and more.
There will be more food vendors this year, she added, including those selling hot dogs, hamburgers and slow-roasted brisket sandwiches.
With excess festival funds, one student at the University of Maine at Farmington will receive scholarship to help a student study in France or Quebec to experience the greater francophone world, said St. Pierre.
There is also a “Franco-writers” tent that will feature Rhea Cote-Robbins, Doris Provencher-Faucher, Annette Paradis-King and Susan Gagnon.
People are asked to bring lawn chairs and weather gear in case of rain.
There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted to help cover costs of festival.
The festival’s schedule of events are:
• 9 a.m. – 3.2-mile fun run/walk. $10 registration fee, first 20 people get a T-shirt.
• 9:30 a.m. – Doors open.
• 9:45 a.m. – Opening words, Canadian and American anthems.
• 10 a.m. – Fred Legere, accompanied on guitar by St. Pierre.
• 11 a.m. – The Don Roy Trio.
• 12:15 p.m. – The Moose Creek Cloggers.
• 1 p.m. – Farm Olympics.
• 1:15 p.m. – Josee Vachon.
• 2:30 p.m. – La Grand’s Debacle.
• 4:15 p.m. – Hightower and Sparks, one-act play.
• 5 p.m. – The Muddy Bottoms.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
