2000 - 2001
GATHERING IN TADOUSSAC (8 and 9 July 2000)
The Perron gathering that just took place in Tadoussac was due to the efforts of many but really started to take shape at the end of February 2000 when I met with Cécile, Pierre and Joachim in Quebec city. There I showed them a draft of the project which in turn they presented to the Board of administration. At the beginning of March, the Board accepted my proposal that the 2000 Perron gathering be held in Tadoussac on July 8th and 9th , and we started to prepare in the following weeks.Tadoussac is mainly a summer tourist village and nearly every business there is closed all winter long, including the Hotel Tadoussac where the gathering was to be held. This is the only hotel big enough and with all the facilities to accommodate large events. The first negotiations were made by phone and fax with their Quebec office and it was only in May when the hotel opened for the season that things started rolling.
As main organizer and coordinator of the event, my first task was to assemble an organizing committee who would share the work. In May, I had found everybody: Mr. Roger Perron as president, Mrs. Ginette Therrien as treasurer, Mrs. Fernande Perron who took charge of the religious ceremony, and Mr. René Therrien, administrator. I acted as secretary. Other volunteers joined the committee: Mrs. Lise Tremblay-Perron, Mr. Patrice Gauthier, Miss Hélèna Baron-Gauthier, Miss Alexandra Tremblay and of course our MC, Mr. Jean Perron. It had been decided that members of the organizing committee and some guests would be wearing period costumes at the gathering.
A lot needed to be done: looking for sponsors, setting up the various activities including the Perron mass at the Sainte-Croix church, contacting the media for local publicity. This year is Tadoussac's 400th anniversary and our gathering was to be part of their calendar of events. We were offered help by the Organizing committee of the 400th celebrations and by the Municipality of Tadoussac. With all that support, our gathering was becoming very promising. And to top it all, Nature was on our side... no rain in the forecast.
Tadoussac being quite far from big cities, many participants arrived on the Friday and had extra time at supper or during the evening to meet new faces or renew old acquaintances. Several, on returning from a long walk, gathered in the lobby around the pianist who played and sang for hotel guests.
Saturday
On Saturday morning, the arriving participants were welcomed at the reception by Patrice and Alexandra. Behind them was the AFPA table where promotional articles and books were on sale. The Gathering 2000 Guest Book was also there for everyone to sign. Unfortunately, Michel the genealogist was absent this year, but Pierre was there with his laptop computer and answered many queries from genealogy seekers. The hotel lobby buzzed with excitement. The Perrons were fraternizing.
Despite being rather tight, the schedule events proceeded practically as clockwork. In the afternoon, some participants visited local historic places, watched the manoeuvres of the Compagnie Franche de la Marine de Quebec, while others left on a whale-watching cruise. Close to 40 Perrons were bussed to the Tadoussac Marina where they boarded the Monocoque Famille Dufour, a three-deck tour-boat with a capacity of nearly 500 people. The Perrons joined the other tourists on board, all eager to see those magnificent mammals. Here's an account from two of the happy passengers who took the cruise.
"Upon leaving Tadoussac, the boat stopped at Baie Sainte-Catherine to pick up close to 100 passengers who joined the 150 or so who had already boarded. I was quite pleased to be there especially since the guide assured me that I would indeed see some whales. The sun was rather weak but with only light clouds floating above, we hoped that the rain would hold off till after our return. And off we went to observe the whales.
While our guide, Chantale St-Hilaire, was giving us information on that marine mammal, others remained somewhat sceptical and doubted that they would see with their own eyes that curious animal. As for the Perrons, they were quite confident and were already starting to feel the excitement.
In the meantime, we learned that no less than 13 species can be seen in the St-Lawrence river among which, the common porpoise, the beluga, the orca, the lesser rorqual and the common rorqual. And we glided on that sea that breathed freedom, calm, depth, a sea which gradually gave us a sense of serenity and relaxation.
Everyone was scrutinizing the horizon in the hope to be the first to see the whales wandering about. Way ahead of us other boats were circling around something of interest. Suddenly, our guide directed our attention to the starboard side where several belugas were playing. They appeared in groups of four or five and each time they came to the surface to breathe, they revealed their magnificent white backs to us. With exclamations of ah! and oh!, the Perrons at once shared the same feverish excitement. You would have needed more than two eyes and a faster reaction time in order not to miss anything.
During close to two hours, belugas and rorquals by turns and sometimes simultaneously gave their show to the great joy of the passengers. The Perrons especially came back hale and hearty, and as happy as kings. Our guide was right: we did see some whales."
"On that Saturday afternoon, I too had a rendez-vous with a corner of the sea of that charming region.
...'Look closely... at 11 o'clock... there's one', said the guide. Quickly, all heads on the boat turned as one and eyes scanned the surface of the water. Ah! I missed it. My eyes imagined a secret course in the deep waters and ... there he was again. A voice cried: 'Another one at one o'clock'. The whole water surrounding us had suddenly been transformed into a huge clock. Exclamatory shouts here; clicking of the cameras there; all signs confirming that the whales hadn't missed the rendez-vous either. Here was a lesser rorqual. The boat slowed down so everyone could admire it then full speed ahead! Suddenly, yes there at 9 o'clock ... and there at ... there they were, a multitude of those darlings all dressed in white, the beluga or white whale... and all around at nealry every hour, more and more appeared. The children's cries said it all. Further on, only a few minutes further, another rorqual (minke).
There, where the Saguenay fjord meets with the St-Lawrence river, the rich waters abound in nourishment of all sorts and the whales, those great visitors, migrate there every summer to eat their fill. What a beautiful visit! What a wonderful page in the great book of Nature! The knowing captain took us to various sites where we could admire the magnificence of those giants of the seas. I must say that in between sites when the boat glided faster, the air was rather cool on the bridge and I was glad I had worn warm clothing. And all along we had to keep our eyes wide open and pay close attention to the guide who informed us about those marine habitats, that living world and its secrets...
A bit of sun would certainly have made the excursion more pleasant. Nevertheless, I had just been offered another pleasure of life, and a very appreciated one. When I left the boat after nearly three hours on the water, I felt I had received a good dose of oxygen!"
Later on, we had the pleasure to join Father Toussaint Perron who had come expressly to celebrate the Perron mass. The magnificent voices of the parish choir enhanced the sanctity of those moments. After church, all were welcomed to a cocktail held on the lawn of the hotel facing the Bay of Tadoussac which ranks among the most beautiful natural bays in the world. Apart from a few mosquitoes which are naturally present wherever there are trees and shrubs, those moments of fraternizing were appreciated. Please read on. Another collaborator will describe the rest of that day starting with the joyful evening meal which was a prelude to the dream-filled evening which awaited us.
"At the banquet of our gathering, we were honoured to have with us several dignitaries. M. Pierre Marquis, mayor of Tadoussac, aka the Marquis of Tadoussac, accompanied by Mrs. Marquis, welcomed us all and proudly gave us a brief historic outlook of Tadoussac. He reminded us that Tadoussac was a meeting and trading place for the First Nations well before the arrival of the Europeans. Tadoussac became part of our history in the 1600s when merchant Pierre de Chauvin de Tonnetuit left Honfleur to establish the first permanent trading post in Canada. The French then established a colony which became the main port of entry of New-France. Today, Tadoussac has become an international concourse which attracts tourists from Europe and North America who come to admire the magnificent sites.
Then, Mme Monique Tremblay, directress of the festivities of the 400th anniversary, wearing a gorgeous period costume, detailed their calendar of events adding that all activities were there for everyone's enjoyment. Afterwards, Rita, the esteemed hostess of the event, introduced to us members of the organizing committee, all dynamic and very competent people who received a well-deserved round of applause.
The president of the organizing committee, Mr. Roger Perron, greeted us briefly and was followed by Cécile, the vice-president of the Association, who thanked our hosts for their cordial welcoming. She used the opportunity to pay a special tribute to Mr. Albert Perron (186) who had assured her in May that he would be with us this night, in thoughts if not in person, since he was so ill. Mr. Perron died a few weeks later. We were also asked to keep in our thoughts another dear member, Mr. George C. Perron (45) who had died in June and who had planned to come to the Perron gathering. Cécile also mentioned the names of a few members who regretted not being able to attend this year's gathering. Then, it was time to partake of a delicious meal and drink the wine of friendship. Should I tell about dessert? A delectable chocolate 'sin' which has no doubt added a few millimeters to many a waist.
In the course of the meal, many door prizes were drawn: beautiful local arts and craft items offered by the organizing committee, and the usual AFPA promotional articles plus a few copies of Guy's books. Many set their hearts upon two sculptures especially: one of a whale from local artist Gaëtan Hovington, which was won by Mrs. Armande Perron (517) of La Prairie, and the other of our Coat of Arms, made by no other than Jean-Claude Perron (547) and won by Mr. Yvon Perron (81) of Jonquière.
More joy was in storage for everyone with "Corne de brume", tales and legends performed by Simon Gauthier and Karina Laliberté. The two story-tellers, one with his voice and gesture, the other with the voice of the violin, took the whole crowd under their spell. The legend on whale-hunting transported us on the St-Lawrence river and suddenly, we were in the middle of a storm. With the roaring of the thunder, we could easily imagine the agitation of the enormous whale that was pursued so relentlessly. We could feel intense emotions swell in us: joy, anguish, sadness coming from the story itself, but also an inexpressible sense of wonder coming from the performance. Then, a well-known tune ended the show by those two very talented artists.
Not quite ready to retire yet, many stayed behind for a sing-song with 'choir director' Rhéal (492) and his wife Claire at the keyboard. What a day! Well filled and so very appreciated!"
Personally, I find those comments very encouraging. They tell us that all the work put in by our committee was not done in vain, and we hope to have satisfied everybody's expectations, all Perrons, Pérons and their friends who came from various regions of Quebec, from Ontario and several parts of the United States.
Sunday
Come Sunday morning, many had to leave early. At the general assembly, new faces joined others on the Board of administration which is now composed of: Normand Perron, president; Joachim Perron, 1st vice-president; Jean-Claude Perron, 2nd vice-president; Jeanne Larochelle-Reed, treasurer; Cécile Perron, secretary; and administrators: Yvonne Nadeau, Bernard Perron, Raynold Perron, Raymonde Perron Doyle, Rhéal Perron and Michel Perron. After the buffet, those who were in no hurry to go back home watched the last presentation by the Compagnie Franche de la Marine which took place right on the front-lawn of the hotel under a magnificent sun.
After all the work and excitement of the last months, I felt a little sad to find myself alone again. With everyone else on the committee, I want to tell you that we are happy to have organized this Perron gathering. For my part, I found that the atmosphere was very friendly. People mingled; they fraternized; that was our goal.
I wish to thank all those who, from near or far, helped make this event a success. Thanks to members of the committee, especially to my sister-in-law, Lise. Thanks to all volunteers and to our generous sponsors. Thanks to all who offered help and sent me documentation. Thanks to Cécile who was never any farther than the telephone, fax machine or Internet whenever I needed information. I thank her particularly for coming over in the spring; her visit helped cement our team's vision. Another visit was very appreciated: that of Jean-Claude who came from Isle-aux-Coudres to Tadoussac to show me a model of the sculpture he was offering to the committee. Thank you, Jean-Claude, for your wonderful gift. And THANK YOU in particular to all participants for without you, this gathering could not have taken place.