1995 - 1996
GATHERING IN MAGOG (12 August 1995)
On 12 August, the Association des familles Perron d'Amérique inc. held its annual gathering at Le Cep d'Argent, in Magog township. More than 200 people attended.Annual General Meeting
As in the past, the Association general meeting took place during the annual gathering. This way we get as many members as possible and from different regions, and we believe it's a good idea since more than 100 members and friends were present.
Tour of the Vineyard
After lunch many took part in a guided tour of the vineyard followed by a wine tasting. Others chose to visit the Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Monastery, the quaint village of Magog, or went on a cruise on Lake Memphrémagog.
Trip Information Session
Of a total of 74 registered on the trip, about 50 attended this session which was hosted by Cécile and Guy Perron, members of the trip committee, and Mrs Yolande Poulin of Groupe Voyages Québec inc.
A special atmosphere was created when Mrs Poulin came in wearing a medieval dress, while Cécile in a Breton costume and Guy with a beret and scarf carried the French look. The trip committee offered a glass of "Perron" wine to each participant and gave them travel documents and advice.
The Rainbow Cloggers
In the late afternoon we were treated to a performance by the Rainbow Cloggers which lasted nearly an hour. All appreciated their inviting thythm and joined in by clapping their hands or stamping their feet.
Gabrielle Perron-Newman of Lennoxville, who was in charge of the organization for that event, welcomed the participants. She was efficiently helped in preparing for this day by her husband Doug. The Association rendered hommage to its first president, Francine Perron, for her leadership and dedication. Claude-G. Perron, our current president, presented Francine with a plaque granting her an Honorary Membership.
OUR TRIP TO THE ANCESTORS' LAND (8 TO 23 september 1995)
The "Back to our Roots" trip to France was for the proud Perrons a dream come true. In all, 74 participants, family and friends. answered the ancestorsC call; they came from Québec, Ontario and the United States.On Friday, 8 September 1995, as the Perrons were getting ready for the trip, an article announcing their visit appeared in one of the newspapers of Rouen, the "Paris Normandie". The group landed in Paris at one o'clock Saturday afternoon and was welcomed by the guides (Muriel and Christine) and the coaches (Abdel and Pierre).
Rouen (9 and 10 September 1995)
The sun was shinning merrily when we gathered in front of City Hall where the Mayor's assistant, Mr. Jean-Claude Dufresne, accompanied by Mrs. Huguette Dillard and the executive committee of the France-Canada Association, and by Mrs. Armelle Robic of the Office de Tourisme, stood to welcome us amid reporters from two local newspapers, Paris Normandie and Liberté Dimanche. After a short photo session, the group filed into City Hall where we were officially welcomed by Mr. Dufresne. He also presented a medal of the city to our President who in turn offered his words of thanks on behalf of our Association. Afterwards the armories of the Association beautifully sculpted on wood were given to Mr. Dufresne by the artist himself, Jean-Claude Perron. The welcoming committee then gave every member of our delegation a certificate making us "Honorary Citizens" of the city of Rouen.
The following morning marked a very special occasion for our members who are descendants of Joseph Dugrenier dit Perron. At ten o'clock, we attended mass in Saint-Maclou where that ancestor was baptized more than 200 years ago. Father Raymond Prévost, head of the parish, gave us a warm welcome in his beautiful church. He co-celebrated mass with Father Renaud Perron while Nicole, Marlène and Pierre Perron read the main texts. After mass, which was entirely filmed by a cameraman from France 3, the regional television, our group gathered near the 18th-century baptismal font for the unveiling of the commemorative plaque honouring Pierre Dugrenier and his son, the ancestor Joseph Dugrenier dit Perron.
Claude-G. and Cécile Perron addressed the assembly then the veil was removed revealing the beautifully engraved words which will for ever testify to our gratitude. There was a proud and prouving moment when Renaud, Marlène and Pierre joined Cécile to read the text of the plaque. Once the usual photos were taken, Father Prévost invited us into the sacristy to share the wine of friendship with our Norman cousins.
After lunch, the Perrons followed a local guide through the streets of Old Rouen. We saw Notre-Dame Cathedral, rue du Gros-Horloge, Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc church, Aître Saint-Maclou situated on rue Martainville, the very street where Pierre Dugrenier's bakery stood.
In the evening, members of France-Canada Association joined us at the quaint auberge La Route du Cidre, in Montreuil-en-Auge, to partake in a typical and delicious Norman meal.
Normandy (11 and 12 September 1995)
The next day we visited Honfleur, charming port and main city of the Calvados. A stop at Pont l'Évêque to taste the Père Magloire's delicious calvados then our coaches drove us to the Canadian cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer where soldiers of all ages sleep under their white crosses. A short distance down the road at Arromanches-les-Bains, we viewed the white beaches where they were felled that fateful day of June 1944.
In Villedieu we visited the Copper Workshop and the Bell Foundry then headed for Mont Saint-Michel, that "Marvel of the West". Most of the Perrons walked up the Grande-Rue and climbed the long flight of stairs which led them to the abbey. From the gallery, the view was breathtaking.
Brittany (13 to 15 September 1995)
From Normandy our trip then took us to beautiful Brittany: St-Malo which is quite a sight from the top of the ramparts; St-Brieuc, Brest and to end the day, a typical pancake dinner in Bénodet where we were joined by some Bretons, Mr. André Péron, his wife and their son, Pierre.
Quimper unveiled to us its majestic cathedral, old walls and beautiful earthenware. That afternoon, André and Pierre Péron arranged a brief meeting for us with the mayor of Pont-l'Abbé and accompanied us for a tour of Pen,arc'h promontory where the foaming sea rendered the scenery wild and exciting.
We shall not forget the ancient calvary of Tronoën nor the menhirs of Carnac. Neither shall we forget the cruise that we took in the beautiful Gulf of Morbihan on board the Duc de Bretagne.
At breakfast in Nantes, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ron who had joined the group for the rest of the trip. In St-Pierre cathedral we admired the sumptuous white marble sepulcher where both parents of Anne de Bretagne are entombed, and after a brief walk around the castle of the dukes of Brittany, we departed for La Rochelle where we were to experience very emotional moments.
La Rochelle (16 September 1995)
Our first stop in La Rochelle was at the Technoforum for a reception offered by the Institut francophone de généalogie et d'histoire and presided by Mrs. Jeanne Drouet. There after a few words from Claude-G. and Guy Perron, Mr. Marc Berland presented everyone of us with a special document acknowledging our visit.
Then we left for Thairé where Daniel's wife, Louise Gargotin, was born. The mayor, Mr. Jacques Bouhier, gave us a warm and sincere welcome and offered to our Association a regional headdress similar to that worn by Louise at the time. We were treated to a cordial and lively show of folklore dancing performed by some villagers. In the evening, we mixed with locals in the port of La Rochelle where lavish fireworks lit the skies and thrilled the hundreds of spectators who took part in the Grand Pavois.
Château Perron (17 September 1995)
A visit to the Château Perron vineyards was part of the program and on Sunday right after breakfast we left for Lalande-de-Pomerol. The owner, Mr. Michel-Pierre Massonie greeted us in front of the attractive 17th-century residence the frontispiece of which bears the name Perron. We learned from Mr. Massonie who gave us a tour of the premises that the grapes there are harvested by hand, which is the practice of all quality vineyards.
Inside on the tables lay platters of crackers and tasty tidbits along with a great number of glasses. Assisted by his son-in-law our host at once started to fill them for a wine tasting session that took us through every step of that artful custom. Our president thanked Mr. Massonie for his generous hospitality and on behalf of the Association, Jean-Claude Perron offered him a wood sculpture of our armories.
Then we went to Cognac. That night the Perrons dined at the casino restaurant Le Bellevue. Didier played the accordion while a local group performed folk dances.
In memory of François Peron (18 September 1995)
François Peron was buried 18 September 1665. Monday, 18 September 1995, we lived every moment recalling his memory. At 9 o'clock, we gathered at the temple on rue St-Michel for a memorial service put together by Reverend Odette Perron and René Péron.
Afterwards, accompanied by M. Jean-François Paboul, Guy Perron guided us through the streets of La Rochelle and to places where François lived. It is difficult to say how moved we were to tread the ground on which François Peron had walked 340 years before, and how surprised to see the spot where once stood the house and the boutique where Daniel worked as his father's employee. La Rochelle, what a splendid city with its old port, its towers, its narrow streets, its porticoes!
At 11 o'clock, Mr. Maxime Bono, assistant to the mayor. held a reception for us in impressive City Hall. After lunch, we met at the Musée maritime where Guy and Claude-G. Perron proudly unveiled a commemorative plaque honouring François Peron, father to their ancestor. This was the main event of the trip for Daniel's descendants and several were moved to tears. As in Rouen, France 3 was there to record everything: speeches by Mr. Claude Latrille, Mr. Patrick Schnepp and Mrs. Jeanne Drouet, addresses by Claude-G. and Guy, the reading by of the text by Jean-Charles and René, and finally the unveiling.
Then all those present viewed an exhibition of numerous documents related to Peron's career before attending a reception at the Chambre de Commerce hosted by its president, Mr. Brenuchot.
Loire (Tuesday, 19 and 20 September 1995)
When we left La Rochelle that Tuesday morning, the heavy skies opened up and the rain stayed with us during the entire boat trip in the Marais Poitevin. Nevertheless that "Green Venice" very much appealed to the hearts of the Perrons whose laughs echoed across the channels.
Then we reached the pretty Loire region and admired the magnificient castles built here and there in the valley: Azay-le-Rideau with its rich tapestries; Villandry and its superb gardens, and the following day, elegant Chenonceau.
In the Beauce region, far away across the immense plain, the spires of Notre-Dame, cathedral of Chartres, were beckoming us. Once again the Perrons were rendered speechless by such grandeur.
Paris (21 and 22 September 1995)
It is often said that everyone should see Paris and we agree with all our hearts. The last two days of our trip were spent in the City of lights and without Paris, we would have come back with the feeling that something was missing. On sunny Thursday morning, local guides gave us a tour of the main attractions and monuments of Paris: the Notre-Dame cathedral, the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, the gardens of the Luxembourg, the river Seine, the Sacré-Coeur basilica...
After lunch in a restaurant near the Moulin Rouge, our busses drove us to Versailles for a visit of the splendid palace which had begun as a hunting lodge built for Louis XII between 1624 and 1632. After supper that evening, we boarded a bateau-mouche and discovered how even more beautiful Paris becomes when its monuments put on their bright coats of lights.
Our last day in Paris truly put the finishing touch to our trip. In the morning, we were free to do whatever we liked. At four o'clock we entered the Délégation générale du Québec, or Quebec House, where Messrs Bertrand Juneau and Claude Roquet welcomed us.
Before re-embarking our busses, we paused along the Champs-Élysées to take a "family picture" of both groups. Far away in tha background rose the Arc de Triomphe, a just reminder of the success of our trip. It was still early when we reached the Butte Montmartre so once again we were free to walk. Then it was time to gather for a last meal together in the country of our ancestors.
The Perrons may have felt a bit of sadness at the thought of having to leave soon but they did not show it. Everyone merrily took his place at the tables that had been set for us at the Butte en vigne restaurant. At once, the whole room buzzed with the banter and sounds of laughter typically heard at every Perrons' gathering. Our drivers had a surprise for us. They treated us to a last tour in the heart of Paris.
GROUP 1
GROUP 2