Celebrate Hawkesbury's 150th with art and music

The Town of Hawkesbury and the Le Chenail cultural centre welcome the public to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary with live music, art installations and exhibitions from Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29.
“We’ll have something for everyone,” said Hawkesbury mayor Jeanne Charlebois. “From Hawkesbury to the world, this is a celebration of the cultural history of our town.”
The bilingual festival entitled “Celebrating Big Time!” takes place in the main gymnasium of L’école secondaire catholique régionale de Hawkesbury, 572 Kitchener St. It begins Friday at noon with the official opening ceremony at 7 p.m.
Entry for the entire weekend is free.
On display are local artisan and craft fairs, a photo exhibit of the 150th anniversary of the town, booths for several cultural and heritage groups, kiosks of local young students, and slide projections and video on the big screen.
With one of the central themes being “discover your ancestors,” Le Chenail co-president Jean Jolicoeur said visitors and participants are welcome to dress in period costumes from the 1800s, the Victorian period of 1837 to 1900, or the 1930s to the 1950s.
Friday afternoon will be geared towards youth with the choir of l’École Nouvel Horizon, followed by the much-adored Brian Saint-Pierre, the Orchestra of l’École Le Sommet, and the mood music of Jean-Marc Turpin. At 7 p.m. there will be speeches by dignitaries, guests, partners, and local student representatives.
Saturday’s musical performances feature Terry Gillespie (blues), Garden Guppies (60s rock) and Didier (jazz), from 1 to 5 p.m. On Sunday, Ian Hepburn and Christos Bereris (harp), André Drouin (traditional music), Sandrine Scott (pop), and Duo-Celivia (crooner) take the stage from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To close out the festival, there will be recognition of volunteers from community groups Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. with a brunch served between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.