Three days of celebration

News

Posted By STEPHEN UHLER

Updated 1 month ago

ALLUMETTE ISLAND -This weekend July 30, 31 and Aug. 1, this Pontiac community will again celebrate its rich history, as it gets ready to launch its fifth annual Heritage Day.

What was once a one-day event centred on one of the island's communities will now feature three towns over three days of the August long weekend, as a trio of events have been scheduled to occur then.

Councillor Genevieve O'Brien, head of the municipality's tourism and recreation committee, said this is going to prove to be an exciting weekend, as none of the three events were held together like this before.

"We did have them, but at different weekends at different times of the year," she said.

By holding the events this way, the municipality is able to get government funding to offset costs, and save on the expense of promoting them.

The event starts Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a music concert in Chapeau's Centennial Park, located by the municipal docks. Ms. O'Brien said this is a youth-centred event featuring young local artists and bands. Scheduled to play are the Nicabau Neighbours, Comon Luxury, Take Off and Glass Angel.

Saturday morning at the St. Joseph municipal hall is the start of the Tour de L'Isle, which gets underway from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. People will have the opportunity to tour Allumette Island by bicycle, having a choice of either doing the full 65 kms, or lesser amounts of 10 kms or 40 kms.

The route follows Highway 148 and includes a stretch along the PPJ Trail, which starts just behind the River Club.

"Included in the tour is breakfast and a spaghetti supper," Ms. O'Brien said, and it starts and ends at St. Joseph's.

For people who want to do the shorter route or who have families taking part who are unsure of the safety of biking along the highway, they have the option of just using the Cycloparc PPJ Trail. An artists' tour is also included in this event.

The main event is all day Sunday in Desjardinsville, with the centre of activities being McCool's Barn right by the main dock, the large red structure familiar to Pembroke residents who look across the Ottawa River from the marina.

Following breakfast at 8 a.m., the barn will be the venue for heritage displays, an antique car show, children's games, aboriginal displays, and trapper demonstrations.

Following Mass will be the family competition, when members of the various founding families will meet to compete with each other.

Ms. O'Brien said two new events, which have organizers excited is the logging show with displays of lumbering prowess, and the firemen's competition, which will pit teams of firefighters from Allumette Island, Sheenboro, Waltham, Shawville and Chichester against one another.

"That's going to be something to see," she said.

Allumette Island's first-ever Heritage Day was held at Desjardinsville on July 2, 2006 to mark the 50th anniversary of the completion of the bridges connecting it to Ontario.

It was well received with approximately1,000 people attending at its height and has been the subject of universal praise.

Because of this success, it was decided to make it an annual event, moving it around each year to highlight different regions on the island.

Its purpose is to celebrate the history of the community and to get people to visit.

Ms. O'Brien said she is expecting a great turnout this weekend, with many people from Pembroke and beyond coming across the river for a visit.

"A lot of people have family ties with Allumette Island," she said, and use this weekend as a chance to get caught up with people they may not run into that often.

It as much a reunion as a celebration of heritage. "We're encouraging people to come on over, and bring their lawn chairs."

Stephen Uhler is a Daily Observer reporter