Proud of their Acadian roots
Thousands descend upon Abram-Village agricultural festival over the Labour Day weekend
ABRAM-VILLAGE – Step dancers with military precision marched onto the stage to the notes of a lively jig performed in front of a large crowd at the Evangeline Recreation Centre Sunday afternoon.
Acadian music, song and dance, both traditional and modern, were prominently featured during the 117th Evangeline Area Agricultural Exhibition and 49th edition of the Acadian Festival.
“We have a fiddling and step-dancing concert in every edition of the festival. There are great local musicians, a few invited guests from the Magdalen Islands and around 30 dancers that will be on stage this afternoon,” said Nick Arsenault, a volunteer organizer with the music.
Several thousands of people descended upon Abram-Village to celebrate the annual five-day “Deeply Rooted in l’Acadie” themed festival.
“It’s almost exotic being at this festival because there is something for everyone, both young and old. The history aspect, pole climbing, music, boot tossing, axe throwing, horse-pull, lobster eating contest. There’s also an Acadian twist on the activities, such as the cow bingo,” Arsenault said.
All kinds of competitions and contests were integrated into the festivities.
The evaluation of livestock, horses and ponies, poultry, other animals and a wide array of other categories (such as grains, vegetables, fruits, roots, flowers, arts and crafts) took place on the weekend.
Dianne and Lawrence Ostridge placed first for their Belgian horses in the team category.
“My husband has a hobby farm with six Belgian horses,” said Dianne.
“But today we brought three of the geldings to compete in the team, line and cart class. The horses are between 16 to 17 hands (tall) and we travel around the province competing, now going on 40 years,” said Dianne.
In the cattle ring, Jason Peters was proud to be representing Cloverdale Shorthorns, a family-owned farm in Springfield.
“This bull has always been around people, so he is friendly and calm. I can even sit lightly on him and he doesn’t mind,” said Peters.
“When I was a kid, I used to hop on the cattle and ride them around the pen.”
The Evangeline Region Agricultural Exhibition also hosted the provincial 4-H dairy competition.
There was a clear show of pride for Acadian culture, heritage and language on the grounds of the festival and the theme continued outside with many homes decked in Acadian colours, along with flags planted in front yards.