Festival du Voyageur

by holli moncrieff for the winnipeg free press Keeping traditions alive has always been an important part of Festival du Voyageur. This year, attendees are encouraged to "Be Voyageur" and discover what life in the fur trade was really like. "We'll have a lot more hands-on demonstrations in the cabins at Fort Gibraltar," says Colin Mackie, heritage programs manager. "For the duration of the festival we'll be presenting a series of workshops and demonstrations designed to showcase the arts and crafts prac- tised by our ancestors." Each day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., people will be able to see a variety of artists immersed in numerous traditional handicrafts. In the afternoon, workshops will take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Available workshops will include Métis beading, voyageur haversack making, finger weaving, carving and woodworking, coopering and traditional hide tanning. "Everything from Métis beadwork and bookmaking to sewing traditional bags and making tools out of stone," Mackie says. "We have a lot of new stuff going on." Take home a souvenir you made, but remember to pass the skill along and have fun. For more information regarding the workshop schedules please visit festivalvoyageur.mb.ca, consult the mobile app, or visit the 233-ALLÔ information centre in Voyageur Park or the friendly voyageurs at Fort Gibraltar. Most workshops will take place on the second floor of the Maison du Bourgeois. Space is limited, so it's best to show up early if you don't want to be disappointed. Since 1970, St. Boniface has been transformed into a winter para- dise as it became host to the largest winter festival in Western Canada. Voyageur, Métis and First Nations histories are brought back to life, not only through the historical interpretation offered inside reconstructed Fort Gibraltar, but also through the many attractions inside Voyageur Park and at the festival's official sites. Music of old, traditional cuisine, sensational snow sculptures and captivating shows are a few examples of the entertainment you can expect to enjoy. On Louis Riel Day, Feb. 15, the public is invited to a special unveiling of the Louis Riel Family Mosaic, which will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Fort Gibraltar. "We've asked Manitobans to send in their family pictures, which will be used in a mosaic of Riel's face," explains Mackie. "We wanted to celebrate the idea of Family Day in Manitoba by creating the founder of Manitoba out of Manitoba families." The Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) will also participate in the Family Day celebrations, hanging large portraits of women who were instrumental in the fight for the vote. CMHR's Let Them Howl exhibit travels through 100 years in the struggle for women's rights. Those interested in genealogy will be able to trace their families back to the fur trade on Louis Riel Day. The genealogy database will only be available on Feb. 15, and will be located in the Portage tent. "You'll be able to find out if your ancestors worked in the fur trade. Our database is very extensive," Mackie says. Festival organizers have also expanded the evening events. On both Saturdays of the festival, the public will be welcome to go on a moonlight snowshoe tour. Explore the winter night by torchlight and warm yourself with great music and good cheer. Starting at the teepee next to the indigenous Winter Trading Camp, festival guides will explain the cultural importance of the snowshoe in Canadian culture before tak- ing you on a guided journey along the Red River. "It's a walk along the river through Voyageur Park, followed by hot chocolate, a campfire, and music in the cabins," says Mackie. "Our snowshoe tours during the day are really family oriented. This is something quite different." The moonlight tour ends at a "Kitchen Party" where the Fort Gibraltar Maison du Bourgeois will greet you with a round of Cari- bou liqueur or hot chocolate, depending on your taste. All ages are welcome. Cost is $10 per guest (includes alcoholic beverage). It takes place on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. "The festival is a really great way to celebrate winter and culture in Manitoba. A great day at the festival would take you about 30 hours," Mackie says. "We're not just a music festival or a cultural event." ❚ 02 tourtière for two? by holli moncrieff for the winnipeg free press This year's Festival du Voyageur organizers hope to introduce you to the love of your life. SingleS will congregate in the Portage tent on Valentine'S Day, the eVening of feb. 14, for the feStiVal'S Very firSt SingleS night. "There will be different game-show style ac- tivities going on during Singles Night, and Fran- çoise Therrien Vrignon will be our host," says Ginette Lavack Walters, Festival du Voyageur's executive director. "She's an actor and improv comedian in the French community—she's lots of fun." DJ Co-op will man the turntables for the evening's romantic Snowball dance. "There will be a button you can wear if you're single and looking," Lavack Walters adds. "We tried to think of everything that would be fun." Singles Night, which is open to adults 18 years and older, is just one of several theme nights to be held at this year's festival. "We've always been faced with the challenge of capacity, because we have lineups at our tents at night," explains Lavack Walters. "We started to brainstorm about how we could repurpose them in the evenings." This year's festival will also feature a Karaoke Night and a Board Game Night. "Three or four bilingual staff from Across the Board Game Café will be on site during our Board Game Night," Lavack Walters says. "They'll be able to teach anyone how to play the games." Along with the entertainment, the food has always been a draw at the festival, and Lavack Walters expects this year will be no different. "All of the usual favourites are going to be back this year, but Stella's is on site as well, and they're going to make sure there's a vegetarian option for our attendees," she says. "We want to create the best experience we can for our visitors, and variety is the spice of life." Festival du Voyageur offers a variety of trad- itional French-Canadian foods, such as pea soup, tourtière and crêpes. The festival is one of the best places to try poutine, a traditional Quebec dish made with fries, cheese curds and gravy. "The poutine is our most popular menu item. It tends to win everybody over, but Promenade Café also has mashed potato cones with add-on toppings," says Lavack Walters. "They're really delicious. It's an alternative to poutine if you want to try something different." In addition to the classic variation, La Bottine offers poutine in a variety of different flavours, including bacon, pulled pork, meat pie, perogy, bacon perogy and pulled-pork perogy. The mashed potato cones are available in vegetarian, tourtière and pulled pork flavours. Many long-time festival visitors look forward to the maple taffy. This sweet treat, made by drizzling pure maple syrup on snow and rolling it onto a stick, can be found in the Sugar Shack. "You can't get away from the maple taffy. It's a lovely little treat," Lavack Walters says. Those wanting a more formal meal can enjoy a gourmet feast prepared by the Gibraltar Dining Corporation in the Maison du Bourgeois. Maison du Bourgeois is open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. for lunch and from 4-8 p.m. for dinner on Feb. 13-15, and Feb. 20. "They serve lovely meals," Lavack Wal- ters added. Don't miss the Rendez-vous des chefs pea- soup contest on the last Sunday of the Festival. At 1 p.m. on Feb. 21, 10 chefs will attempt to make the best-tasting pea soup at the Maison du Bourgeois. The audience will sample each soup and then cast its vote for the favourite. "The contest is always really popular. It doesn't take long to get rid of our soup samples," says Lavack Walters. Other crowd favourites include maple sugar pie on a stick, maple baked beans and a whole roasted turkey leg. "It was so funny to see everyone walking around eating these huge turkey legs last year," Lavack Walters says. "I'm glad the Promenade Café brought them back for this year." The full schedule for Festival du Voyageur is available through their website and app. "It's a better value if you buy the 10-day pass," says Lavack Walters. ❚ since 1970, st. boniface has been transformed into a winter paradise as it became host to the largest winter festival in western canada. Visitors will have plenty of opportunities to 'Be Voyageur' at Fort Gibraltar. Photo by Dan Harper. Celebrating tradition

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