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Entertainers at the Métis Rendezvous at H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park
As many as 200 people of Métis ancestry arrived at H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park to spend Saturday, July 16, embracing their culture, as part of a Métis Rendezvous organized by the Niagara Region Métis Council with the assistance of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) Healing and Wellness staff from the MNO Niagara office. This was first Rendezvous held in the south Niagara region and featured numerous activities throughout the day ranging from fiddle music to a feast at the day’s end.
“That’s why I’m really excited about the turnout that we had. … by the time we got to the feast, it was so nice,” said TerryLynn Longpre, an MNO staff member and Rendezvous organizer. (referring to the huge meal that included roasted pig, baked beans and various salads). “It was the culmination of the whole day, where we all sat down together and ate. It was just a wonderful way to end the day.”
Niagara Region Council President Stephen Quesnelle said two bus loads of people arrived to participate in the event, including one from Windsor and one from Grand River. Other people drove to Port Colborne from Hamilton. “Quite a lot of people came,” he said and he hopes the Rendezvous will be the first of many, “we’re hoping to do this every year in the Niagara region.”
Quesnelle added there are a lot more Métis people living in Niagara, and he urged them to contact the council. He said there are many benefits the council can offer people of Métis ancestry.