By Louise Goulding
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The Lefebvre Family from Lafontaine |
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Senator Verna Porter (left) of the Moon River Métis Council and Pearl Gabona of the Oshawa Métis Council demonstrating bannock making |
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(left) Rachelle Brunelle of the Georgian Bay Métis Council and Lisa McCron of the Moon River Métis Council. (right) MNO President Gary Lipinski. |
Métis Rendezvous 2010 was a great day! This was the first year the event was held at the Baxter Ward Community Center in Port Severn, which proved to be a fabulous venue. Although it was a cloudy, windy and wet day, approximately 300 people attended and we fed 250 people at a sit-down dinner featuring a traditional fish fry.
This was the 6th annual Métis Rendezvous, which is a day for Métis and the general public to learn about Métis culture and history. The idea behind the Rendezvous is to have our harvesters provide for our elderly, disabled, single parents and other people who may be in need. Donations for the dinner and the raffles not only offset the costs but also cover the cost of having all the big game butchered.
Among those who attended were MNO President Gary Lipinski, Parry Sound-Muskoka Member of Parliament (MP) Tony Clement, Township of Georgian Bay Mayor Jim Walden, Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton and Simcoe North Member of the Provincial Parliament Garfield Dunlop. In remarks at the start of the Rendezvous, President Lipinski praised the volunteers who organized the event and congratulated the community for sharing the harvest bounty. “Sharing,” explained President Lipinski, “is part of our Métis heritage and culture. Organizers and participants in this event can be proud of living up to that tradition.”
The Rendezvous attracted many vendors. Scott Carpenter was there with his immense Métis Cultural Display. Hank Rowlinson organized the always popular Métis Games. A kids’ craft corner put on by Mary Mackay was a big hit. Other demonstrations included: the Moon River Métis Council which taught bannock making; the Credit River Métis Council provided a trapping/Métis display; Senator Ruther Wagner led a fiddle-making workshop; Lisa McCron from the Moon River Council displayed medicinal herbs; Métis Commercial fisherman Bernie LePage did a fish cleaning demonstration and supplied all the fish for dinner!
There were raffles and a contest to see who could guess the weight of a beaver. Raffle winners were: Marie Brunelle, Chris Goulding and Heather Logue. Tedd Tobey won the “guess the weight of the beaver” contest.
There was great entertainment that had the crowd up jigging. Performers included: Marg Raynor; The Copegog Family; The Lefaive Family; and the Métis Fiddler Quartet.
The Rendezvous could not happen if it were not for the 40 or so dedicated volunteers who assist the Métis Rendezvous Planning Committee, which consists of Louise Goulding(Chair and Captain of the Hunt for Georgian Bay), Scott Carpenter, Ruth Quesnelle, Vic Brunelle, Rachelle Brunelle, Heather Garratt, Greg Garratt, Tracy Bald, Tera Copegog, Pauline Saulnier and Ben Lamoureux.