Media Releases

Acadian flag to fly over Town of Amherst

Acadian flags will fly over the Town of Amherst on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, as local residents celebrate Acadian culture on National Acadian Day.

The flags will fly in front of the Community Credit Union Business Innovation Centre and in the park at the corner of Church and Albion streets.

“Acadians and their descendants have played a major role in the history of the Amherst area,” Mayor David Kogon said in recognizing the day.

“Today, Acadian descendants continue to make major contributions to every aspect of life in our community. Their contributions are one of the reasons we can say that Amherst is a great place to live, work and play.”

According to the Nova Scotia Community, Culture and Heritage website, National Acadian Day was introduced in 1981 in order to recognize the “distinct nationality of the Acadians” and to celebrate the “cultural vitality and enduring heritage of the Acadian People.”

Thursday’s summer night market, which begins at noon and goes to 9:30 p.m., also celebrates Acadian culture. There will be vendors, games and, at 7 p.m., a good old-fashioned tintamarre will leave Victoria Square and travel to Ratchford Street, where the festivities are taking place. Everyone is urged to put on their best Acadian outfit and brings some pots and pans in order to make some noise as they travel the route.

At 7:30 p.m., Frantically Atlantic will take to the outdoor stage to perform favourite Acadian songs like Reel de Ste-Anne, Cabane à Sucre (Maple Sugar), La Bastringue, Partons La Mer Est Belle, À la Claire Fontaine, Ah! si mon moine voulait danser.