Our Guédry et Petitpas Reunion is quickly approaching - less than one year away. Seems like an eternity, but it will be here soon. Set the dates aside - 16-17 August 2024 at the St. Alphonse Church Hall in St. Alphonse, Nova Scotia. St. Alphonse Catholic Church and Hall is on Highway 1 just 4 miles (7 km) south of Meteghan.
THE REUNION
Our Guédry et Petitpas Réunion will be held in St. Alphonse, Nova Scotia at the St. Alphonse Catholic Church Hall on 16-17
August 2024.
This region is Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral home and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq who were the neighbors and friends of our Acadian ancestors when they arrived here. It has been four centuries since our peoples met for the first time and more than 250 years since we overcame the deportations together. During the Réunion we hope that we may renew the bonds we share.
St. Alphonse, originally called Chéticamp, was founded in 1787 by Augustin Guédry and his wife Marie Jeanson. Originally, called Chéticamp, the postal system changed the name to St. Alphonse, the name of the local church, to avoid confusion with the Chéticamp village on today's Cape Breton. Augustin Guédry was the only member of the Guédry family to avoid deportation during 1755-1763.
Attached is a tentative agenda for the Guédry et Petitpas Réunion and a Registration Form.
Once you have made tentative plans on attending the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024 and attending the Guédry et Petitpas Réunion, please complete the registration form and email it to one of the addresses on the form. You may also just send an email with the requested information. Or you can send the completed form by postal mail to: R. Martin Guidry; 6139 North Shore Drive; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70817.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact either Martin Guidry ( [email protected] ) or Jason Guidry ( [email protected] ) with your concerns.
We invite everyone to attend our Guédry et Petitpas Réunion - whether you are a Guédry or Petitpas descendant, have an interest in one of our families or just want to have a good time.
We offer a special invitation to our two sister families - the Hébert and the Breaux families - with whom we have held joint reunions for many years. Please join us in 2024 and continue our tradition.
Our Réunion is FREE to all that attend with the exception of two meals (Friday evening and Saturday noon).
Please note while you are in Nova Scotia that one of our family members Stephen Jeddry operates Tiki Tours out of the Halifax Harbor. Check out his website at: https://tikitourshalifax.com . You may wish to relax one day and enjoy one of his tours.
Our Réunion will occur over a two-day period this year. On 16 August we will have two activities. Morning and early afternoon we will offer a guided tour of the Baie Sainte-Marie region with an emphasis on Guédry-related sites and sites of early Acadian historic significance. We will travel in small caravans of private vehicles to accommodate parking at the various sites. In 2004 this tour filled two large school buses at a charge of $50 per person and was a huge success. This year it will be free and we will stop at a local restaurant for lunch where you can purchase a meal at your expense. Each tour will last from approximately 10:00 am until 4:00 pm and will start and end at the St. Alphonse Church Hall.
On Friday evening from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm we will have an Acadian supper at the St. Alphonse Church Hall. We are hoping to have an old-fashioned lobster boil with all the fixings - depending on cost and availability of lobster. Alternatively, we will have another Acadian delicacy. There will be a per meal cost for this activity which we will determine closer to August.
On Friday evening from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm we are planning an Acadian Kitchen Party with live music (Acadian/Cajun), entertainment, dancing if you like, snacks and prizes/gifts. It should be a fun evening and chance to meet your Acadian cousins and friends in a relaxed setting before the Saturday reunion.
On Saturday, 17 August we will begin our day with an old-fashioned French Mass like that which our ancestors attended each Sunday. Rev. Father Jason Vidrine from St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville, Louisiana will celebrate the Mass. St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church is the Mother Church of the Louisiana Acadians. The Mass will be from 9:00 am until 10:00 am at St. Alphonse Catholic Church - across the street from the Hall. It will be a special time for each of us to reflect on our Acadian heritage and on our ancestors. Don't worry if you do not speak French or have not attended Mass regularly, please join us as it is easy to follow the Mass.
Before Mass, you may want to walk outside to the back of the church just before reaching the cemetery and observe the wonderful plaque honoring Augustin Guédry and Marie Jeanson - founders of St. Alphonse.
After Mass we will cross the street to the Church Hall and begin Saturday's Reunion as outlined on the Agenda. Note that we plan to have some craftspeople and book authors displaying their work and offering it for sale. We will also have a Sales Table for Reunion gifts you may want. We hope you will enjoy the day and find it interesting and informative.
At the end of the day we have two optional activities. For those that wish to visit Mallivette Beach and get their feet wet in the surf while enjoying the evening, we will caravan the 5-minute drive from the Hall to the beach about 4:00 pm. For those that wish to remain at the Hall and mingle/converse with friends and cousins, we will keep the Hall open so you can enjoy your time together.
REMEMBER - please return your Registration form as early as you can so that the organizing team can firm up plans.
Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024 Website: https://www.cma2024.ca/en
The Congrès Mondial Acadien is being held 10-18 August 2024 in southwest Nova Scotia from Pubnico to Digby covering the Argyle, Yarmouth and Clare Municipalities. Go to the CMA 2024 website at https://www.cma2024.ca/en for more information on events and travel. Also, see the Baie Sainte-Marie website at https://baiesaintemarie.com/en/events/congres-mondial-acadien-2024-cma-2024 and the Yarmouth website at https://www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/en/ for information on these areas.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Although the Yarmouth/Argyle and Clare areas are somewhat rural, do not be misled into thinking that housing is a concern.
There are plenty of accommodations throughout the CMA2024 region. And more will be coming available in 2024.
Yarmouth and Digby/Annapolis Royal are the best places for motel type accommodations.
For accommodations in the Clare region , go to this website https://baiesaintemarie.com . At the far right of the top blue banner on the opening home page, click on “English” or “Français” per your language. Then at the far left of the red banner, click on “Stay” or “Hébergement”. Four columns will appear showing various types of accommodations available. Click on any of the listed accommodations for rental and contact information.
Besides accommodations, the homepage can also direct you to various activities in the Clare region during the CMA2024. On the right side of the homepage is a short column which contains a hyperlink to the 2023 Official Visitor Guide Flipbook to the Clare region. Click on the picture of the Guide and click on “Complete this form to order” and a brief form will appear so you can order a free copy of the Guide. You can also download the Guide online using the downward arrow in the blue bar beneath the Guide.
For accommodations in the Yarmouth/Argyle region , go to this website https://www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/en/. At the far right of the top white bar, click on “EN” (English) or “FR” (French), then click on “Places to Stay”. The setup is very similar to that of Clare. Likewise, the homepage contains lots of information on activities that will occur during the CMA2024. At the very bottom of the homepage on the right you can get a free copy of the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores Activity Guide.
In addition, during 2023 and 2024 you can check these two websites for AirBNB and VRBO rentals that become available. AirBNB - https://www.airbnb.com and VRBO - https://www.vrbo.com
GETTING THERE
Outside of doing what some of our Acadian ancestors did to return to Nova Scotia in the 1760s - that is walking, there are
several ways to travel to the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024. They include by flying, driving and sailing. Don't forget -
everyone will need a valid
passport
to enter and leave Canada.
Flying
Airlines using Halifax Stanfield International Airport include Air Canada, Air Saint-Pierre, Lynx Air, Flair Airlines,
American Airlines, Porter, Swoop and WestJet. Connection hubs in the summer to Halifax Stanfield are Vancouver, Montreal,
Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Philadelphia, Newark, Boston, Washington D.C. and a few other Canadian cities.
Halifax Stanfield has these rental car companies: Alamo, Avis, Budget Dollar Thrifty, Enterprise, Hertz and National.
There are motels and other accommodations near the airport for an overnight stay.
Driving
If driving to the Yarmouth/Clare region, there are three primary routes - two involving a ferry crossing and one total
driving.
(1) CAT - The CAT is a high-speed ferry sailing between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. For the 3.5-hour trip the CAT can hold cars, SUVs, pickups, RVs, tour buses, motorcycles and passengers. It has numerous amenities and offers great viewing of whales and birds. A reservation is recommended and there is a fee. Check this website for more information: https://www.ferries.ca/thecat/overview/
(2) MV Fundy Rose - The MV Fundy Rose sails between Saint John, New Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia. It can hold cars, SUVs, pickups, RVs, tour buses, motorcycles and passengers during the 2.5-hour trip. The MV Fundy Rose has many amenities and offers excellent viewing of whales and birds. A reservation is recommended and there is a fee. Check this website for more information: https://www.ferries.ca/nb-ns-ferry/overview/. From Bangor, ME to Yarmouth, NS is approximately 278 miles (approx. 6.5 hours without considering ferry wait time and delays).
(3) Driving all the way - All driving routes will require entering Canada at New Brunswick and then driving to Nova Scotia. From the U.S. the shortest route would be I-95 to Bangor, ME, then Maine Highway 9 to U. S. Highway 1E to Calais, ME where you will enter customs and cross into New Brunswick. Take Highway 170 to NB1E and continue to Amherst, Nova Scotia. From Amherst take Highway 104 to Truro, then Highway 102 to Halifax and finally Highway 103 to Yarmouth. This is a very scenic route with lots of opportunities to stop and visit historic Acadian sites. From Bangor, ME to Yarmouth, NS on this route is 562 miles (approx. 9 hours).
SUGGESTION : When crossing the NB to NS border, stop at the Nova Scotia Tourist Center on your right just at the border. It has a lot of historical markers as well as a short walking trail at the original Acadian Beaubassin Village Site and at Fort Lawrence. If you want to visit Fort Beausejour, it is at Aulac, NB just before you enter Nova Scotia.
Note: You can also enter Canada at Houlton, ME; however, the drive is a bit longer.
Sailing
You can also sail or yacht from the U.S. to Yarmouth, NS or Digby, NS; however, you would need your private sailboat or
yacht. One of our family members did this in 2004.
PLACES TO VISIT IN NOVA SCOTIA AND CAPE BRETON
See
the article for Acadian, Guédry and Petitpas sites to visit while you are in Nova Scotia.
The list is divided into Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island and further by county within each area. If you have a day extra
or a couple of weeks, pick a few sites that seem interesting to you and within driving distance.