Press Release
(For immediate release)

Church Point, LA – October 8, 2022: Representatives of the Municipality of the District of Clare, Nova Scotia, and the Town of Church Point, Louisiana, came together on October 8 to renew a twinning agreement dating back to 1985.

This ceremony was held as part of Grand réveil acadien (the Great Acadian Awakening), a state-wide, nine-day celebration of the language, music, history, culture and influence of the Acadian people in the heart of Acadiana, Louisiana.

“This twinning agreement helps promote economic ties between our two communities. It also strengthens our cultural and historical connections,” says Yvon LeBlanc, Warden for the Municipality of Clare. “There may be more than two thousand miles that separate us, but our residents share the same names, the same language and the same story.”

A delegation of five visitors from Clare met with local dignitaries and were treated to a day of festivities in Church Point, which included a traditional Cajun cookoff, a conversational French session, an all-day concert, a French-language mass and a signing ceremony. Warden LeBlanc and Church Point’s Mayor Ryan “Spanky” Meche also presented one another with a Certificate of Honorary Citizenship.     

Municipality of Clare representatives also attended Grand réveil acadien activities in the communities of Lafayette, Thibodaux, St. Martinville, Broussard and Rayne, Louisiana. During  their four-day visit, they took the opportunity to promote the community of Clare, along with the upcoming Congrès mondial acadien, which will take place in Southwest Nova Scotia in 2024. 

“It would be an honour to receive Mayor Meche and the residents of Church Point to reconnect with their Acadian brothers and sisters and to take part in our celebrations,” notes Warden LeBlanc. “The momentum of Grand réveil acadien clearly shows that Acadian pride is wide awake in Acadiana. Let’s keep it going in Clare and Argyle in two years’ time.”

At a ceremony in Clare in August 1985, Warden Paul Comeau representing the village of Church Point in Clare, Nova Scotia, first signed the twinning agreement alongside Mayor J. Harold Beaugh of Church Point, Louisiana.

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Settled in 1768 and incorporated in 1879, the Municipality of Clare is located at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia with approximately 8,000 residents. The Municipality of Clare is the only municipality in the province that conducts business and offers services in both official languages, French and English.

Media Contact / Interviews:

Yvon LeBlanc
Warden
Municipality of Clare
902-778-0653
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Stéphane Cyr
Chief Administrative Officer
Municipality of Clare
902-769-2031
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Clare Warden Yvon LeBlanc and Church Point Mayor Ryan “Spanky” Meche hold up the signed twinning agreement renewal between the two communities. (Photo: CRÉAcT/Clint Bruce.) 

Warden Yvon LeBlanc (right) takes part in the activity French Speaking on the Porch with Stevie Robinson (centre) and other Church Point residents at le Vieux Presbytère.

Clare Warden Yvon LeBlanc offers Church Point Mayor Ryan “Spanky” Meche a reproduction of Nadine Belliveau’s painting Célébration. The same painting hangs in the Office of the Municipality of Clare.

Cajun jam in Thibodaux, LA. Clockwise from left: CAO Stéphane Cyr, Councillor Nadine Comeau, Carl Comeau, Warden Yvon LeBlanc, Tourism Director for Louisiana's Cajun Bayou Cody Gray, Communications Officer Amy Paradis, Chef Paul Thimot, Chef Shane Robicheau, musician Daniel LeBlanc and SNA youth representative Sophie LeBlanc.

Councillor Nadine Comeau takes part in a Cajun jam in Thibodaux, LA.

Jambalaya cook-off in Broussard, LA. Left to right: Louisiane-Acadie Treasurer Ray Trahan, Warden Yvon LeBlanc and Louisiane-Acadie President Randal Menard.

A celebration of the twinning of the City of Broussard, LA, and the Village of Cap-Pelé, NB. Left to right: Warden Yvon LeBlanc, Broussard Mayor Ray Bourque and Cap-Pelé Mayor Serge Léger.

Councillor Nadine Comeau and Warden Yvon LeBlanc present a gift to Ray and Brenda Trahan, two leaders in Acadian culture in Louisiana. This offering included a custom-made box by Clare woodworker Alexandre Comeau, coffee from Lise Robichaud-LeJeune and Brad LeJeune of Brûlerie du Vieux Moulin and two handmade mugs from Robert Jones of Dhe’n Dor Pottery.

A stop at the Guédry et Petitpas Reunion. Left to right: Gene Royer, Louisiane-Acadie Board Member Martha Royer, Warden Yvon LeBlanc, reunion organizer Marty Guidry, Communications Officer Amy Paradis, CAO Stéphane Cyr, Councillor Nadine Comeau and Carl Comeau.

A special place: CAO Stéphane Cyr, Councillor Nadine Comeau and Warden Yvon LeBlanc visit the Evangeline Oak in St. Martinville, LA. This oak marks the legendary meeting place of Emmeline Labiche and Louis Arceneaux, the counterparts of Longfellow’s Evangeline and Gabriel.