«To true history lovers, the frescoes depicting scenes of life in Sherbrooke are unparalleled, turning the walls of the city into a street museum.

Leaving the station on foot, we first learned about the town at the beginning of the century when it was known for its textile industry. A history professor recited a poem written by Clémence Desrochers’ father and herself. Later on, between fiction and reality, actors Gilbert and a young mother began a discussion on how to protect the environment. Then, we all settled comfortably aboard the bus and went back in time to meet people who left their mark in the history of the Eastern Townships.

We found ourselves in the company of people that came straight from the last century. At the magnificent Howard domaine for instance, we met Senator Howard and Mary O’Malley. Mary joined us on the bus and entertained us along the way with several anecdotes. Then, once at the Bicentennial fresco, Géraldine in turn gave us a description and a bit of the history of the people represented on the panel.

Back on the bus, we went on our way. We were introduced to a not-very-far period, that of country music. Sherbrooke has produced many country singers including Ti-Blanc Richard and Lebrun, the singing soldier. In front of the fresco titled «Il était une fois dans l’est» - Once upon a Time in the East - an engaging trio, Carmen, Bernie and Danny, performed well-known melodies; one in particular was enjoyed by all: « Quand le soleil dit bonjour aux montagnes ».

We finally got to the last fresco depicting « the good years »: it told of the captivating story of a young woman whose father refuses to accept her beloved as son-in-law. However, with the help of a good sister and that of God, and what love is capable of doing… But I’m saying no more and invite you to go and take this city tour that’s rather unusual.»

«Taking part in a city tour means opening a window on the history of that city, and stepping into the privacy of her inhabitants. A group of Perrons had the chance to live that experience during their Sherbrooke gathering.

From the very beginning of the bus tour, we noticed the marks left by the English founders of the city, starting with street names, King, Galt, Queen, Victoria, Bowen…; then the English architecture of the homes, reserved, spacious, made of red bricks with vines crawling way up to the roof, and all surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Our first stop: the splendid park of the Domaine Howard renowned for its vast flower gardens, its The 2007 Perron Gathering at Sherbrooke Page 12 Vue du perron Automne 2007 majestic fountain, its trees that look like sculptures, its historic buildings in the Anglo-Normand style. The Domaine’s two pavilions where the father and his son used to reside now serve as reception halls for weddings, anniversaries, art exhibitions and other celebrations. Further away we could see the greenhouses where city gardeners can find a wide variety of flowers.

Second on the tour was the chapel at Bishop’s College. It is very impressive with its dark wood panels that invite to meditation; the rows of pews facing one another surely facilitate dialogue and communion during liturgical meetings. As if to make the atmosphere more complete the organist played a magnificent piece of music that made the walls vibrate, and deeply touched the hearts of all Perron visitors. This visit will remain a precious souvenir.

Back on the road, we arrived at the confluence of the St.Francis and Magog rivers; we are at Les Grandes Fourches (the Big Forks), pride of the city, with the bicycle path running along the Magog river. Our guide called our attention to the terraces on Wellington street north.

A third stop led us to the Uplands cultural and heritage center in Lennoxville. There we visited an exhibition of works of art and a collection of antiques. A nice pause was also awaiting us: an English tea accompanied by succulent titbits, scones and blueberry cakes. The beautiful set-up of the tables, the service by young ladies dressed in period costumes, the lovely company, all those made the visit worth remembering.

But the hours were going by fast and we had one more stop on the programme: one of the famous mural paintings that adorn the city, in particular that at the corner of Bowen and King streets that was completed in 2002 by M.U.R.I.R.S. Thanks to that attraction, the walls of the city center are literally transformed into a street museum. The panels depict very vivid scenes of yesteryears. At the front, we could see a horse-drawn cart, a train, old-time houses, the doctor’s office, the dentist’s, and so on and all in so natural a relief that you had the impression of being part of the mural.

Suddenly our contemplation was broken by a country trio whose songs were so rousing that we sang along with them ''Quand le soleil dit bonjour aux montagnes...''. You’ve guessed it; we had caught up to the Perrons who were on the other city tour. We left the scene to the tune of a waltz, charmed by that interesting visit. On the way back, we admired the cenotaph of the archangel St.Micheal, made by George Hill.

We are grateful to the organizers of this gathering for having opened a window on the beauties of Sherbrooke. We promise to visit ‘the whole house’ one of these days.»