Schedule will change in March, April
LEWISTON — The next edition of La Rencontre, the Franco-American Heritage Center’s monthly French language luncheon, will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, at the center’s Heritage Hall.
February’s meal will consist of a bowl of clam chowder, two finger rolls with a choice of filling of ham salad or chicken salad, coleslaw and a brownie. The cost of the meal is $7 per person, which also includes an hour of entertainment after the meal.
February’s entertainment will feature a French language variety show, with traditional songs performed by the trio of Lorraine Ouellette on accordion, Gerry Dube on guitar and Adrien LeClair on mandolin. The music will be interspersed with skits performed by the musicians along with actors Helene Sylvain, Robert Morin, Yvette Parent and Lou Roux.
Everyone is invited to attend La Rencontre, but the Franco Center requires that reservations be made in advance so that staff can accurately estimate quantities of food to prepare.
Reservations, which must be secured by Thursday, Jan. 31, at the latest, can be made by calling the Franco Center at 783-1585 or calling Monique Gagne at 783-0042.
“We typically haven’t been adamant about reservations and allowed people in even if they came without one,” said Louis Morin, the center’s executive director, “but after a couple of recent months where we had popular entertainers we’ve learned that, for everyone’s enjoyment, we need to be more mindful of the hall’s capacity and so we’re making reservations a requirement.”
Patrons are encouraged to speak only French during the meal in Heritage Hall, which is accessed on the Oxford Street side of the building. In the spirit of fun, persons overheard speaking English may be fined a quarter for doing so, or they may “buy” the right to openly speak in English for one dollar.
The Franco Center also wishes its patrons to know that the La Rencontre luncheons in March and April will deviate from the regular schedule of falling on the first Friday of every month.
March’s event will take place on the second Friday of the month, on March 8 instead of March 1, in order to accommodate a wedding party for which advance hall preparations will preclude the possibility of two events in the same day.
In April, La Rencontre will be moved to Thursday, April 4, so that the Franco Center can host film screenings as part of the 2013 Lewiston-Auburn Film Festival, which takes place over three days beginning Friday, April 5.
The regular monthly schedule will resume in May.
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