Friday evening brought together 52 people who gathered in an atmosphere of celebration and joy. Each participant was given a name tag that was worn throughout the weekend. Both Gervaise and Cecile, the event organizers, greeted the members of the Vadnais family and introduced them to the group.

This year, we had the pleasure and honour to have family members visiting from the States of Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. A couple from the province of Ontario as well as one person from Ireland were also part of the event. As for the Vadnais from Quebec, they came from different regions such as Saint-Michel des-Saints, Joliette, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Sorel, Saint-Hyacinthe, Rigaud, Levis, Montreal and its surroundings. We have observed that the Americans were as "willing" as the Quebecers and Ontarians, when it came to rejoicing with "la flamme des Vadnais". It makes us proud to be part of such a beautiful and warm family.

The event started off with the Vadnais' theme song followed by a buffet and games in an effort to get to know each other and have a good time. Prizes were distributed to the winners.

On Saturday morning, an additional 35 people joined the group. With the help of different colour cards, a gigantic genogram of the Vadnais family was mounted on the wall allowing for everyone to connect to their roots. As such, we were able to visualize the family ties that bring us together. A special thank you goes out to Pauline and Catherine for their work on illustrating the Vadnais' distinct family roots. This brings us to outline the work of Laurier Vadnais who created and managed the Vadnais' Genealogic website until he passed away in 2004. This responsibility is now in Cecile's hands. Given that there are operational fees to maintain the website, money was collected in order to keep it active and operational. We wish to thank you for your contribution and generosity in making this possible.

We were scheduled to visit "Le village Quebecois d'Antan" in the afternoon. However, this activity was cancelled due to bad weather. Needless to say that the Vadnais' didn't loose a minute to plan other things and some visited "Les Serres de Drummond", the largest rose producer on the East Coast. This outing was much appreciated while others preferred to play cards or just chat away. The afternoon was much appreciated by everyone.

On Saturday evening, each participant put on their best attire and joined in for a 5 star dinner served with wine. The dinner allowed for us to look at pictures from the previous years. Games like the "Snowman" which everyone seems to get a good laugh from followed this scrumptious dinner. Door prizes were given out 2 of which were offered by Jean-Luc and Yves. A few songs, games, stories and dance kept us all on our feet. Some of the attendees were at their first experience and said that they were so impressed with the event that they promised to join us again in the future.

On Sunday, we exchanged addresses, telephone numbers and hugs leaving us teary eyed. Your participation is GREATLY appreciated and is certainly a motivating factor for the organizers to pursue this tradition. Remember that your participation is what makes a difference.

We wish to thank Michael and Catherine for their work in preparing some of the material required for this great celebration. A special thank you also goes out to those who work in making this event possible. Take good care as we wish to see again in 2 years, possibly in Quebec City this time around. Your comments are welcome and much appreciated.

Gervaise and Cecile,

Written by Misses Gervaise and Lucille Vadnais
Translated by Francois Giard, Vancouver, British Columbia