James Gallant's North Rustico
The joy and wonder of Christmas comes alive in the children and the young at heart who experience the Christmas lights in North Rustico, PEI. People go to North Rustico by the thousands during Christmas to see the famous light display.
Pottie's at Mary's wedding - Jimmy, Sid, Pops, Eddie, Cam, Clary (dad), Mary, Gram, Charlie, Margaret, Pat and Johnny
(updated)
This is a follow up to a reader’s comment on My uncle Sid. One family story leads to another.
My grand-mère was as strict an Acadian Catholic as God made. Half Scottish and half Acadian from Arichat, Isle Madame, Cape Breton, she would use Gaelic when angry.
I remember rabbit pie on the stove at home in Halifax, which amazingly which gets honorary mention in an Ecole Buote lesson plan.
Last night we were whiling our time on Victoria Row when friends went by and said a Cajun band was playing at the passenger terminal later on. A Cajun band! Off we went to this poorly promoted but fun event.
They show continues tonight at 7:30 pm at the renovated Charlottetown wharf – at the bottom of Weymouth Street.
We didn’t sample the Cajun and Acadian food since we were stuffed from eating at the Globe but it looked good and the price was fair. Continue reading
Un Canadien Errant
Overnight our YouTube site had its 90,000 view. That’s up from 85,000 last week. Continue reading
CBC, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, April 28, 2009
A French cultural group on P.E.I. is disappointed the Confederation Centre Library is falling short when it comes to offering assistance to francophones, but the province doesn’t see the problem.
‘We certainly have received no complaints or concerns at the Confederation public library.’
— Harry Holman, Department of Culture
The provincial library recently added Chinese materials and hired a temporary staff member who speaks both Mandarin and Japanese in reaction to an influx of immigrants from China, but no one on staff is considered fluent in French.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FxnVpfDzFc
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While Friday the 13th started with only slight apprehension and a determination to be careful, events can overtake you when lady luck goes for a drive.
The day went along swimmingly. Stories flowed slowly from my two fingers. Projects like mailing back two TC Helicon floor pedals remained unpacked in boxes on the hall floor where they had been all week. My new song 56 Percent Man remained unrecorded. I was being cautious, not pushing my chances. The recording session the night before was a disaster with the computer deciding my music was not recordable. Research on Friday proved the fault to be mine: I neglected to turn on the Firewire drivers to encourage the song to flow from the mixer. Other than that I was in a fine mood. Continue reading
A few weeks ago I sang two French songs at the Fete Nationale Acadian. It was a stretch since I’m not bilingual. However, now my computer thinks I am.
I was sitting with Robert Arsenault at Brennan’s Friday afternoon. “Why don’t you call me to perform?” I asked in fun.
“You don’t know any French songs,” was his quick reply.
Un Canadien Errant
A lot of cool things happen. Right now I’m in a creative place. Seeing my work in print is a thrill. To see a video in the Journal Pioneer is a new step.
I’m writing up three blogs a day, stories, and songs every day. I work on Blog layouts which can be fun and creative.
Social activism is like marketing – condense the message into a sound bite and interest people in the story. Continue reading
Un Canadien Errant
Saturday I had the pleasure of playing at the Fete Nationale l’Acadie / Acadian National Holiday at Port La Joye – known to some as Fort Amherst. Friday night we went out for the Spectacle with Angele Arsenault and Lennie Gallant. Angele is the picture of happiness and optimism – so wonderful. Lenny had his full band and sounded great.While Port La Joye is an historic place, it’s not the best to draw a big crowd on the summer night. The road out is so dark and twisty!
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Lennie Gallant photo Stephen Pate
By Stephen Pate
An excerpt of this article was published in the Guardian Voice for Seniors June 2008
Lennie Gallant writes and sings of the Acadian and Celtic traditions that make Prince Edward Island unique reflecting our rich heritage. His stories are the stories of our Island.
Born in Rustico, PEI Gallant has been performing for three decades since he was 13 years old. He performed in a variety of local bands in traditional and rock and roll styles, including the Speed the Plow.
In 1988 he released his first solo CD, Breakwater, which demonstrated his traditional Island roots and story telling abilities. Since then Gallant has traveled the world telling his stories about people, places and especially about PEI. His 7th CD When We Get There (2005) was nominated for a 2007 Juno, his third JUNO nomination.
It was the PEI stories I wanted to explore when I met Lennie Gallant in downtown Charlottetown in February. He was here to judge the David Foster Star Search. Continue reading