Celebrating Franco-American Culture With Music, Film, & RI Poutine Competition
(WOONSOCKET, R.I.) – The Museum of Work & Culture’s 20th annual Salute to Spring/Bonjour Printemps event will take place on Sunday, March 24, at 1:30 pm, and will celebrate Franco-American culture.
The day will include the MoWC’s eagerly anticipated 3rd Annual Poutine Indulgence. Restaurants and food trucks from across the state will offer their take on the traditional Québecois dish of French fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds. Last year’s champion, Friskie Fries of Providence, as well as past Fan Favorites, Ciro’s Tavern of Woonsocket and Adeline’s Speakeasy Kitchen Bar of Cumberland, will be returning, along with past competitor Red Stripe of East Greenwich and new participants Dan’s Place of Coventry and Bywater of Warren. Woonsocket-based Ravenous Brewery will also be on hand to offer beer tastings.
Additional entertainment will include performances by Franco-American singer and songwriter, Josée Vachon and fiddler Daniel Boucher, who will offer concerts at 1:30 pm and 3 pm. Born in Québec and raised in Maine, Vachon has been sharing her Franco-American upbringing for over 25 years through traditional and contemporary folk songs from Québec and Acadia and through her own compositions. Growing up in a Québécois musical family, Boucher is a master fiddle teacher, collecting traditional Québecois songs and composing his own pieces inspired by his time in La Belle Province.
There will also be vignette performances of Mill Girls by Jump! Dance Company and a screening of God Save Justin Trudeau, a Québecois documentary film following two political pugilists during their training up until the night of a boxing match that will change their destiny forever. The day will also include pastries provided by Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery.
The day will conclude with the MoWCs annual raffle, with a grand prize of a trip for two to Montreal donated by Conway Tours.
Tickets remain for Salute to Spring/Bonjour Printemps: Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children; children under 3 are free. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available at ShopMoWC.com or by calling (401) 769-9675.
Salute to Spring/Bonjour Printemps is made possible in part by the event’s generous sponsors: Délégation of Québec in Boston, The Brickle Group, Conway Tours, and Lepine Financial Advisors, Inc.; along with Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home, Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery, Bourget & Bourget Associates, Villa at Saint Antoine, Soucy Insurance Agency, the Consul General of Canada; and DpArchitect, Esten & Richard Insurance, Mrs. Trudy Lamoureux, Rotary Club of Woonsocket, Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, Esten & Richard Agency, Inc., Walsh, Brule, & Nault, and Lil’ General Convenience Store.