A busy month of activities is coming up for the local francophone community.
The Association communautaire fransaskoise de Moose Jaw (ACF Moose Jaw) will be hosting their annual fishing derby Sunday and then will be hosting a traditional French Canadian sugar shack dinner and concert on Mar. 9. ACF Moose Jaw will conclude the month with Tintamarre on Mar. 19.
“March is kind of crazy when it comes to the French community,” said Chantal Amstad, director of the ACF MJ.
Sunday’s ice derby festival will be held at Buffalo Pound from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A fishing license is required for participants who are 16 years or older. Participants are invited to bring their own fishing equipment, chair and shelter, but if you don’t have any you can still participate.
“On location we are going to have the ‘Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs’ trailer,” Amstad said. “This is something from the provincial government and they will have a conservation officer on location with that trailer and some equipment that people will be able to borrow.”
Anglers can register the day of the derby. Last year they had 25 people with only half of them pre-registering.
There will be prizes for the winners in four categories: the most fish caught for kids who are under-16 and then the most fish caught for people 16-and-older, plus the largest perch caught and the largest other fish caught.
The traditional “cabane à sucre” dinner and concert will take place in the gym at École Ducharme (340 Ominica St. W.) on Saturday, Mar. 9 with dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the concert following at 7 p.m.
Tickets are only on sale until Monday.
“So far we over 50 people registered and they only have until Monday, March 4 to actually buy their tickets because we have to make sure we to have the right amount of quantity to order,” Amstad said.
The dinner will feature a traditional homemade tourtière, ham, pancakes and maple taffy on snow.
Franco-Ontarian group Le Pére Garneau et les Rats d'Swompe will provide the entertainment.
“Le Pére Garneau is one person and les Rats d'Swompe is a group, but they got together to make one show together. They perform together at the same time,” Amstad said. “They’re traditional French Canadian kind of music with violin. Le Pére Garneau is more of a storyteller. So that will be fun, telling older stories and maybe some legends.”
Tickets for adults are $20 for the dinner and the concert. Students 10-16 are $15, under-10 are $10 and children two-and-under are free. For the concert only, adults are $10 and students 16-and-under are $5.
Tickets are available at the ACF MJ office at École Ducharme (306-692-8112) or by emailing acfmoosejaw@gmail.com.
