M’allo is the common French greeting I hear from one local to another. My Acadien friend explains “it’s a greeting that translates warmth and delight at seeing the other person”.
We are here to take part in the oldest Acadien Festival taking place in Clare, part of Yarmouth & Acadian Shores, or what we lovingly call the French Shore.
We arrived on the Friday night of the last weekend and put up our tents in our Acadien friend’s backyard in Belliveau’s Cove.
Accommodations arranged we headed over to the “big tent” in Clare (behind the social club) to a foot tapping night of music of “Rock d’la Baie” music for youth by youth. Our teenagers were impressed with the charm and good looks of the musicians as well as the music.
Saturday, we celebrated the Assomption day flag raising and mass “en francais” at Major’s Point Chapel in Belliveau’s Cove. My high school French stood me in good stead as I bonjour-ed and merci-ed with the gracious French speaking locals (most are bilingual), who advised us to head over to the market for some of the best “Fricot” on the French Shore. A chicken stew made with the same grated and reconstituted potatoes as rapure or rappie pie.
The tintamarre or “parade of noise” was next, so we spent the rest of the afternoon decorating the car in Acadien colours, flags and costumes. The kids decked in beads and paints, armed with pots, pans and horns infused us with the true spirit of tantamarre as they banged and blew along the noise lined streets from Saint Bernard Church to Little Brook. The end of the tintamarre we found ourselves back at the big tent, for another evening of Acadien and Cajun music for the closing concert. This packed event introduced us to Hert LeBlanc, Waylon Thibodeaux, Swing, La Baie en Joie and Les danseur’s d’Amber. This concert is not for the faint of heart, bring your own chair, know how to have a good time, and be open to exploring new and traditional foods. It starts about 7:00 and lasts until the wee hours of the morning.
Late Sunday morning found us at the Roadside Grill for a traditional dish of “Rapure avec les grosses coques” or Quahaug Rappie Pie. The Roadside Grill is the only restaurant I know of that serves rapure with quahaugs or makes a quahaug burger (ask for homemade tartar sauce); both are must eats when visiting Belliveau’s Cove on the Acadien Shores.
For more information on visiting Yarmouth and Acadian Shores
http://www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/
