An upcoming festival is being held in the hopes of bringing local French and English speaking people together. The 21st annual Maple Sugar Festival hosted by the Grande Prairie Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta is set for Saturday in Muskoseepi Park. Administrative Assistant Anna Kouadio says the festival is a tradition in Montreal that they wanted to bring here.
“It’s a way for us to keep going with that tradition even if [we] are not in Quebec. It’s also a way for us francophone to get together with the community here to bring all of us together and enjoy the winter. I know the winter is a pretty cold and stressing time so it’s a way that we can enjoy it with some sugar.”
Last year around 900 people went to the festival and Kouadio is hoping this year they can hit that 1000 mark. There will be outdoor activities including maple taffy on snow and sleigh rides as well as indoor activities for the kids and a traditional francophone canteen.
Kouadio says the main goal is to bring attention to the association and says the festival is open to everyone regardless of what language they speak.
“The hope is that at the end of the festival, the francophone living here know that there’s an association that is here specifically for them to help them with their needs. For the English people, [it’s to] make them know that even though we are a francophone association we are also here to work with the community to bring everyone together.”
The Maple Sugar festival will be held on March 2nd from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $30 per family, $10 for individuals and free for kids under the age of three.
