St. Jean Baptiste Festival arrives

There are a lot of hurdles to jump when you are a small town putting on a huge event. But as Murray Knight, chair of the St. Jean Baptiste Festival 2009, likes to say, "We gotta think big."

His committee of 21 people, and an additional 70 volunteers, has spent months organizing what they hope will lead to a turnout of about 1,000 people to the second annual St. Jean Baptiste Festival running June 26 to 28 in Morinville. The town's population is nearly 7,500.

The focal point is the unveiling of two four-foot by eight-foot tableaus in St. Jean Baptiste Park. The historical/cultural tableaus are titled Filles de Jesus, a nod to the Daughters of Jesus religious order that settled in Morinville's pioneer days.

The second tableau is 1891 Franco and German Settlers, a montage of pioneer scenes that include transportation, clearing the land and trades such as blacksmithing.

However, the three-day event is packed with community-building activities. For visitors who enjoy reminiscing about local lore, historical displays have been set up in different locations.

For folks out to enjoy the good weather, there's a range of entertainment from the kick-off movie night to a show 'n' shine of vintage tractors and vehicles. Organizers have lined up dozens of entertainers that include Dance Connection and Alexander First Nation's traditional dancers as well as fiddler Tyler Vollrath, nephew of Morinville son and Canadian fiddle champion Calvin Vollrath.

A favourite event is Taste of Morinville's heritage cuisine and beer garden held at the Parish Centre. Organized by the Catholic Women's League, the menu incorporates foods from the town's francophone, German and aboriginal heritages.

Check out the tourtiÈre, sausage, bison stew, bannock, oven-roasted potatoes and sauerkraut followed by rhubarb crisp and sucre á crÈme. "It's a per item charge, $3 for a meal and $1.50 for side dishes and you're getting a home cooked meal," says food committee organizer Denise Touchette.

This festival has replaced the long-running Frontier Days that petered out after key volunteers stepped back and interest waned.

But as Knight explains, the new committee is energized and they are working with a $17,000 budget. The Town of Morinville contributed $5,000 and Celebrate Canada awarded the festival a $2,400 grant. However, the bulk of funding was donated through solicited donations.

"We're offering things for the whole family. Come and learn all about the town and be part of it – even if it's only for three days."

A schedule of events is listed below:

Parish Centre

10010 – 101 Avenue

• Family Twoonie Movie Night

7:15 p.m. Monsters vs. Aliens

9:15 p.m. Twelve Rounds

St. Jean Baptiste Park

• 11 a.m. opening ceremonies with Chance Quartet

Museé Morinville Museum

10012 – 101 St.

• 11 a.m. unveiling tableaus

• Noon grand opening ceremony followed by tours

• All day show 'n' shine of antique tractors and vintage autos

Parish Centre

• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Taste of Morinville and German beer garden

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. live entertainment

• 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. historical displays

St. Jean Baptiste Park

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. open-air market

• 1 to 3 p.m. face painting

• 1 to 4 p.m. children's entertainment

• 2 to 3 p.m. Alexander First Nation traditional dancers

• 3 to 4 p.m. Morinville Yellow Rock Square Dancers

Morinville Library

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Francophone exhibit

Parish Centre

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Knights of Columbus community breakfast