A Festival-inspired funfest

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/02/2022 (475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of the Norwood Grove Business Improvement Zone are putting on their sashes and raising a glass or two of caribou as they prepare to hold a community event in honour of Festival du Voyageur.

At press time, the inaugural Le Norwood Relais was set to be held at au parc Coronation Park on Sat., Feb. 19 and Sun., Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Mon., Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The upcoming event, which is an official satellite site of Festival, was the brainchild of Helios Restaurant owner and Norwood Grove BIZ vice-president Nicholas Douklias, who has the support and backing of the organization’s executive director Jennifer Mathieson, who also owns event company Archevent, and the BIZ board.

Douklias said organizers approached Festival about the event last year, motivated in part by related trading post events that are held in smaller towns and communities.

“We wanted to bring an event to Norwood Grove,” Douklias said, noting there will be a heated warming tents at the event, as well as fire pits.

The event will include live entertainment and a beverage patio, and food will also be available for purchase. Also on the schedule is a snowshoe and ski obstacle course, and a snow sculpture contest, for which pre-registration is required.

“For the live music, the artists will be sheltered but visible to the public, and we’re mostly supporting local entertainers and francophone artists,” Douklias said.

“Of course, it’s also been a tough time for restaurants, so we decided to ask restaurants from the BIZ area to cater the event. Supporting local is so important right now, and we currently have nine restaurants on board.”

The event, he added, is all about community supporting community.

“At the start of the pandemic, I was sharing posts from other local businesses, even other local restaurants, which never happens. The amount of support we’ve received during the pandemic has been immeasurable. Yes, we lost some businesses, but the ones that have survived are incredibly thankful. A lot of this has been down to the community, and I’ve been very humbled by this.”

The patio, tents and licensed area at the upcoming event is subject to current public health orders, including capacity restrictions, and all Le Norwood Relais attendees must be fully vaccinated to enter.

At press time, performers slated to perform at Le Norwood Relais included TiBert and Douzie, Amélie Tétrault, and Ensemble folklorique de la Rivière-Rouge on Feb. 19; TiBert le Voyageur, Prud’Homme, and Dan Scramstad on Feb. 20; and Flora Luna, Jess Rae Ayre, and Double the Trouble on Feb. 21.

At press time, participating restaurants included Le Croissant on Feb. 19; and Dug & Betty’s, and Santa Lucia Pizza on Feb. 19 to 21.

Go online at norwoodgrove.com for more information.