The first weekend of August was the Fêtes patrimoniales (Heritage Celebration) of the village of L’Acadie, at the western edge of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu among the fields of Montérégie, Québec. The village was founded in 1750 on the Petit-Rivière-de-Montréal (now the Rivière L’Acadie). It was principally settled in 1768 with the arrival of several hundred Acadians who had made their way there after the expulsion of French from Acadia in 1755 (le Grand Dérangement).
The village was also a center for the Patriotes movement in 1837–38, in which Québécois demanded a series of basic civil rights. They were brutally suppressed by the British, especially in L’Acadie. L’Acadie is therefore both a monument to Québécois history and an historic village, with the survival of a number of late 18th- and 19th-century buildings including the church (église) and the rectory (presbytère).
The Fêtes Patrimoniales were focused around the presbytère and the église, both historic monuments of the Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The presbytère in particular is a wonderful museum of 19th-century life in L’Acadie, especially because it served as the residence of the priest (curé) and nuns (soeurs), a community center, temporary lodging, and a school. Contemporary crafts were on display in tents along the Chemin du Clocher.
A number of local volunteers, in period dress, provided entertaining explanations of the various 19th-century activities in both buildings, and they were joined by others displaying period metalwork and pottery in adjacent tents.
At the eastern end of the tents is the Parc des Ancêtres with its monument to the people of the Grand Dérangement; a monument to the Patriotes and their families stands south of town along the Chemin des Patriotes.
The daytime activities were followed on Saturday by a souper de cochon braisé (a dinner of pulled pork) in the Parc des Ancêtres. It was in the context of the souper that the August Rencontre Francophone (between people of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the AFLCR) took place, hosted by the Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Further activities took place on Sunday.
Erik Trinkaus