A very important historic event will happen in Riverside-Albert on August 16th. For the last three years, a joint committee co-chaired by Wilfred Savoie and Riverside-Albert Mayor Jim Campbell has been working diligently to complete the Chipoudie Monument project. The Monument has been created to honour the Acadian families who once inhabited the region known as Chipoudie, the area along the Shepody Bay coast from Lower Cape, Shepody, Hopewell Hill and the area in and around Riverside-Albert from 1700 to 1755.
Due to its historical importance, the joint committee has organized an official unveiling and has extended an invitation to the Acadian Diaspora throughout the world. The unveiling ceremony will be held at 10:30am Friday, August 16th during the Acadian World Congress at McClelan Park (Rte 114/King St. opposite Maple St. in Riverside-Albert).
The special guest speaker will be former Premier of New Brunswick, Mr. Frank McKenna, who has been a great supporter of the project from the very beginning. He will address the gathering and unveil the information panel erected next to the monument.
The monument will be unveiled by the committee's co-chairs, Wilfred Savoie and Mayor Jim Campbell. The unveiling ceremony will include the blessing of the monument and remarks from Fundy Royal MP Alaina Lockhart, Albert MLA Hon. Mike Holland and Dieppe MLA Hon. Roger Melanson. Following the ceremony, everyone is invited for a social gathering at the exhibition grounds in River-side-Albert to be entertained with live music and to enjoy various foods. Dr. Stephen White, a well-known genealogist from the University of Moncton, will deliver a presentation (in English) on the genealogy and history of the Acadian families who once lived in the area.
We expect a large crowd. We want to make it very clear that this is not just a celebration for Acadians. Everyone is welcome! It is intended to be a fun afternoon with opportunities to meet new people—a celebration of a unique project that will show the rest of the province how both language groups can work together to accomplish great things.
I want to mention the names of the people who have given their time for this project. First, I want to mention Mayor Jim Campbell; without his cooperation this project would never have been possible. Members of the Riverside-Albert group include Dawne McLean, Annick Butland, Kathy Weir and Michelle Harvey-Larsen. Members of the Dieppe Group, headed by Wilfred Savoie, include Paul Savoie, Hélène Dupuis, Anne-Marie LeBlanc and Yvon Comeau.
By Wilfred Savoie, monumentdechipoudie.ca; Images by J. Wallace
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