Vermont
Officials to Celebrate Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary
Gov.
Douglas, Sen. Leahy, Dignitaries and Officials to Attend Lois McClure Reception
and Dedication of Vermont and New England Monuments
WHO:
Governor Jim Douglas, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, Honorary Chairperson of the Franco-American
Heritage Committee Marcelle Leahy, Vermont Tourism and Marketing Commissioner
Bruce Hyde and Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss
WHAT:
Lois McClure Reception and Monument Dedication
WHY:
In honor of Quebec City’s
Quadricentennial Celebrations
WHERE:
Lois McClure Reception:
On board the flagship schooner the Lois McClure
Espace 400e
100, rue Quai Saint-Andre, Quebec
Monument Dedication:
Parc de la Jetee
On Boulevard Champlain
At the bottom of the Cote de Sillery,
Quebec
WHEN:
Lois McClure Reception: Wednesday, July 2 at 10 a.m. to noon
Monument Dedication: Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30 p.m.
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas,
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, Honorary Chairperson of the Franco-American
Heritage Committee Marcelle Leahy, Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Bruce
Hyde, Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss and other dignitaries and officials from
Vermont, New York and Quebec will
be in Quebec City July
2 to celebrate the city’s 400th anniversary. A public
reception will be held on the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s flagship
schooner, the Lois McClure.
While docked in Quebec City, the schooner will serve
as the ceremonial vessel during special events for dignitaries and officials,
including members of the Quadricentennial Commissions from Vermont, New York
and Quebec. Senator
Leahy and his wife Marcelle Leahy, who is the honorary chairperson of the
Franco-American Heritage Committee, will serve as hosts aboard the schooner.
Governor Douglas and his wife Dorothy Douglas will join the Leahys in greeting
guests that day.
At 5:30 p.m., there will be a
dedication of two monuments to Quebec
City from Vermont and New England. Both monuments were
made by Rock of Ages in Barre. The New England monument celebrates French
heritage in New England and pays tribute to Quebec
City, the mother city of Franco-Americans.
Vermont created a separate monument for Quebec City to honor Samuel de Champlain, who
explored the lake that bears his name in 1609. The monument includes a quote
– in both English and French – from Samuel de Champlain as he
entered the lake in July 1609. In 2009, Vermont will celebrate the 400th
anniversary of Champlain’s exploration of the lake and region.
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