Darlene Wroe
Speaker Reporter
NEW LISKEARD – People will be able to step back in time in downtown New Liskeard Thursday to Saturday.
An old-time Noël will be celebrated for the sixth time in conjunction with the Santa Claus parade on Saturday evening which will wrap up the three-day Christmas celebration November 21-23.
“There are a lot of things going on,” says Village Noël organizer Réjeanne Bélisle-Massie.
“We have vendors from both sides of the lake here. It’s building ties. It’s to showcase the three cultures,” she explained.
Bélisle-Massie of Centre cultural ARTEM and her team of volunteers have been hard at work since last year’s event took place in November 2018.
Not only has activity been steady in preparation through the past year, but participants are being drawn from throughout the region in both Ontario and Quebec, and a large portion of the visitors are expected to come from Southern Ontario as they come home to enjoy the celebrations as the Christmas season continues to build.
Along with lead organizer Centre cultural ARTEM, teams of volunteers have been readying many activities. Deb Murray has been in charge of the team who are bringing together 22 workshops for children.
Yves Renson with the l’Association du Canot camping du lac Temiscamingue has once again brought his commitment and passion for the re-enactment of Voyageur history, as he has been doing for the past five years. He and his crew make an important contribution to the success of Village Noël, said Bélisle-Massie.
Volunteers have been hard at work this past week preparing the kiosks which will be set up along Whitewood Avenue and Armstrong Street to house the many vendors who are coming from across Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec.
The familiar sights and sounds of the Village Noël will be there once again.
Visitors will be able to explore the region’s past as lived through Indigenous tribes of the area. Their culture can be explored and Indigenous artisan Karl Chevrier will be returning again to provide a birch bark canoe-making demonstration.
The Metis Nation culture and arts will also be shared with visitors.
Francophone settler history from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century will be presented with its high energy, songs, stories, clothing, foods and arts.
The ingenuity and hard work of the early British settlers will also be on display with games, handmade clothing, food and useful household items made and sold by vendors from throughout the region.
The Business Improvement Area (BIA) will be sponsoring horse-drawn sleigh rides on Saturday afternoon near the Horne Granite Centre.
The event will wrap up Saturday evening with the annual Santa Claus Parade which will get underway at 6 p.m.
Bélisle-Massie expressed gratitude to her volunteers who have worked to set up the kiosks, and will then be taking them down.
Heritage Canada has provided a grant for the event, and sponsorships and those who have provided in-kind support are vital in ensuring the event goes on. The city crews of Temiskaming Shores are also an important part of ensuring the event can happen, she added.
Ongoing donations are still being accepted to cover the costs of bringing the event to reality.