Gaëtan Forgues & Allyson Beauregard
FORT-COULONGE – In collaboration with many organizations and businesses, the Pontiac Organization of Seniors and Retirees (POSR) held a Senior’s Fair at École Secondaire Sieur
de Coulonge (ESSC), November 6.
Gaëtan Forgues & Allyson Beauregard
FORT-COULONGE – In collaboration with many organizations and businesses, the Pontiac Organization of Seniors and Retirees (POSR) held a Senior’s Fair at École Secondaire Sieur
de Coulonge (ESSC), November 6.
According to event organizer Rachel Plamondon, more than four hundred seniors and retirees attended the event, which included over 30 booths by organizations offering services to seniors, workshops, activities, and a lunch. Seniors came from all corners of the Pontiac and arrived by means of private transportation, or were picked up at a variety of pickup locations by Autobus Lasalle or Transpor-Action.
“Since our last fair five years ago, many things have changed. Many more services are now offered for seniors, which was the reason for hosting the event. With the Pontiac’s growing senior’s population, it’s important that they are aware of the
services, aids, and supports
that are available in our
communities,” said Plamondon.
Also included in the event was the unveiling of the travelling exhibition “Seniors Portraits” and the short film “Living Lands”, both made in the context of the MRC Cultural Agreement.
The Seniors’ Portraits project, focused on the Pontiac’s living heritage and was conducted by the POSR. It involved three local artists, Claudette Spence, Linda Bergeron-Baril, and the late Stephen Scrak, who met certain Pontiac seniors and from the meeting, created a
portrait. Two young reporters, Adèle Pilon and Maryse Vallières-Murray, recorded these moments; their photos and texts,
presented on panels, allow spectators to discover the artists and seniors who took part in the project.
Living Lands (see more page 38) is a short 25-minute film entrusted by the MRC Pontiac to two young artists, Suzanne Vallières-Nollet and Maxime Galand. Vallières-Nollet met a dozen people from the Pontiac who were able to describe life in the area when the forestry industry was booming, and from the meetings, Galand created a video now
available at: http://cul
ture.mrcpontiac.
qc.ca/terresvivantes.
Both projects were made possible through
the financial participation of the MRC Pontiac,
the Ministry of Culture and Communications of Québec, and the Caisse Populaire of Fort-Coulonge.
After dinner, a group
of musicians entertained the crowd. “It was a
very well organized and informative event,” said Fort-Coulonge resident Edridge Mousseau.
