ELAN (English-Language Arts Network) Presents Arts Alive! Quebec

Arts Alive! Québec (AAQ) started the season right with successful events held in Hudson at the end of May/early June. This year's Huntingdon events again showcase the artistic and cultural richness of this beautiful region. Enjoy an engaging all-day program of music, theatre, dance, visual arts and workshops in and around Grove Hall, a performing arts centre in an historic reclaimed church sitting beside a dappled riverside park, on Sunday, July 8. This is also the opening night for the Rural Arts Project's Anne of Green Gables: The Musical which will tour to four different bucolic locations in the region.

Huntingdon's Rural Arts Project Co-Artistic Director, Tina Bye, is thrilled with the way the community throws their support behind the events. "This is our 4th annual Arts Alive! Québec and I love that when I speak to people about it, there is a look of instant recognition on their faces. Their only question as they tuck their flyer away is 'Great, what is the date this year?'. It has become a Valley tradition that people add to their calendar and look forward to."

ELAN Executive Director Guy Rodgers is looking forward to visiting Huntingdon again in early July: "Arts Alive! Québec kicked off with a boom-Hudson's artful series presented an entertaining selection of workshops and top-notch shows. Huntingdon's Festival along the beautiful banks of the Chateauguay River is always a treat and will continue the fun. The town and extended region is buzzing about the Anne of Green Gables: The Musical tour. This is a splendid time of year to take a day trip or spend a weekend exploring the noteworthy history of the area."

Mark and Tina Bye are the driving force behind the Rural Arts Project which helms Huntingdon's AAQ each year. This year the cornerstone evening event is Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, directed by Tina and designed by Mark, including all the classic songs like Kindred Spirits and Ice Cream. After its gala opening, this travelling tent show continues, making stops in four locations across the MRC of Haut St Laurent-Hinchinbrooke, Ormstown, St-Anicet and Franklin. This is musical theatre in a uniquely Canadian context-beautiful outdoor vistas of traditional rural landscapes, hand-churned ice cream, and a live horse and buggy. At one of the sites the show is going 'off the grid' with audience members taken to the performance by tractor and wagon.

Huntingdon AAQ daytime highlights include the ever popular Teddy Bears' Picnic with a free finger-food buffet for the little ones, followed by a concert for kids (of all ages) performed by Christopher Pennington, and David Whyte (from Durham County Poets). The afternoon headliner is Les Flâneurs (Bill Gossage, Guillaume Jabbour, Harlan Ross Johnson) presenting toe-tapping original and traditional tunes that pay homage to the rich musical legacy of Southwest Louisiana. As an extra bonus, there will be a dance instructor teaching the crowd a Cajun two-step. There will also be many intriguing and educational workshops, hands-on activities, artist demonstrations for both grown-ups and kids, and local snacks.

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