French Canadian Heritage Day

The Detroit Historical Museum is joining a number of locations around the state hosting celebrations of the region’s French Canadian heritage on Friday, October 3 from 1 – 3 p.m.

Join us at 1 p.m. to hear French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan members Diane Wolford Sheppard and Suzanne Boivin Sommerville present artwork and other visuals to illustrate the joie de vivre of French-Canadian heritage with a special emphasis on Detroit and the Great Lakes area. They will also quote the attitudes and misconceptions recorded by the British and especially, the Americans, when they first observed the joie de vivre of the French Canadians in Detroit.

Following the presentation, the musical group Trois Bouffons (Mark Szabo, Mike Francis and Genot Picor) will provide some lively French Canadian dance music and community dance instruction at 2 p.m. Starting with music that Champlain brought to Nouvelle France, they will work their way up to jigs, reels, waltzes and French Canadian polkas, with an interactive story or two. Their performance is modeled after the veillée, or “social gathering,” which was a common form of entertainment our ancestors enjoyed.