The Saint-Jean-Baptiste weekend is always a busy time in Canada—did you do anything interesting?
I went down to Lakeside Park for Nelson’s annual Franco Fête. It was a hot day full of good music and fun activities hosted by the Association des francophones des Kootenays Ouest (AFKO). There was some drumming, some dancing, and lots of eating and socialising. I heard people speaking in both English and French, sometimes switching back and forth.
I learned about AFKO’s new podcast, FRANC OUEST, which is hosted by Franco-Ontarian filmmaker Patrick Lac (in photo above, centre), who now lives in Nelson. Lac’s podcast includes in-depth interviews and friendly discussions with local and regional people. As a next step, he plans to create podcasts with students in three regional schools: Revelstoke (École des Glaciers), Nelson (École des Sentiers-alpins), and Rossland (École des Sept-sommets).
Rose-Anne Lachance (on the left in the photo) coordinates AFKO’s summer camp series. Campers will enjoy silk-screening, cinema, sewing, mosaic-making, art, outdoor skills, and podcasting workshops.
It was great to see people gathering in the park to enjoy each other and to celebrate the Francophonie. I hope you had a good weekend, too.
Image: Photo: Patrick Lac, Rose-Anne Lachance, and a community member at Franco Fête, by Catherine Fisher
Catherine Fisher, blogger
