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HALLOWEEN VIRTUAL EXHIBIT
From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham ____________________________________________________ Welcome to the Plains of Abraham website In the heart of Québec, The site of many clashes for supremacy between the French and British Empires, the Park is the scene of the 1759 Conquest, which changed the fate of North America. Apart from its historical past, the Park is to Québec what Central Park and Hyde Park are to New York and London: a city park of outstanding value, the lungs of the city. One hundred and eight hectares of meadow and grassy knolls, decked with flowers or covered with snow, are there for residents and visitors to enjoy. On March 17, 1908, the law creating the National Battlefields Commission
(NBC) was sanctioned to highlight and preserve this site, unique in the
world by its sheer size, its geographic location, its historical role
and its beauty. The Battlefields Park, which groups together the Plains
of Abraham and the Des Braves Park, was developed to honour the memory
of both French and British combatants. ____________________________________________________
Quebec City, May 10, 2006 – A recent CROP survey published last April 26 in the daily Le Soleil reveals that the Plains of Abraham is a major place of interest in Quebec City, an attraction which naturally draws the public. The National Battlefields Commission’s announcement could not have come at a better time. In fact, this afternoon the Commission unveiled for the press a gamut of festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of its existence in 2008, and the early days of Battlefield Park’s creation. The major event is undoubtedly the Plains of Abraham epic, a large-scale reconstruction, composed of several scenes, of the site’s 400 years, from the arrival of the first explorers to the park as it is today. The public will be asked to participate actively. Musical entertainment high in contrast, both intimate and imposing, serious and cheerful, historical and contemporary, calling upon hundreds of local volunteers: actors, dressmakers, dressers, set designers and other stage related trades. “Get ready to join in the celebration” exclaimed André Juneau, president of the National Battlefields Commission, to people of the greater Quebec City area. Next to the park’s outstanding figures, which include generals Wolfe and Montcalm, Sir George Garneau, a former Quebec City mayor and the Commission’s first president, Lord Grey, former Governor General of Canada, in addition to the famous Abraham Martin, to whom the park owes its name, Mr. Juneau unveiled the broad outlines of the 100th anniversary festivities in the presence of Josée Laurence, chief executive of the Société du 400e de Québec, with whom the Commission collaborates closely for the celebration of the park’s 100th anniversary and Quebec City’s 400th all at once. Several events will unfold on the Plains, including a reconstruction of the first golf course in Quebec, an event overseen by Golf tradition Québec 2008, a group of golf enthusiasts. The park could also welcome the papal mass at the close of the World Eucharistic Congress in June 2008. Mr. Juneau also evoked the circumstances from which his organization emerged during the Quebec Tricentennial, and its significance for citizens.
The Plains of Abraham Epic When the park was created in 1908, a pageant drew the crowds. The National Battlefields Commission now wishes to take up the challenge and again write a page of history with a major event that would bring together the population of Quebec City and its surrounding areas, a large-scale project just as ambitious as the famous pageant, but with a totally different, more contemporary flavour, covering 400 years of history, from the arrival of the first explorers to our own time: the Plains of Abraham epic. A series of distinguishing facts about the Plains of Abraham, all presented in various historical scenes, vividly portrayed, with many characters in fancy-dress who helped shape history and stir the imagination. The Plains of Abraham epic, which will be presented five different times from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17, 2008, will be an unforgettable human adventure in Quebec City involving the participation and enthusiasm of hundreds of spirited volunteers and the Commission’s staff, to give an overview of this history, our own history, in the superb setting reflecting these great events. Extras will be in the spotlight, while others, behind the scenes, will be putting the finishing touches to the costumes and set; local resources will be shown off to advantage and trained in various stage techniques, touching an entire generation. Everyone will be proud to contribute to the success of this event and applaud this achievement; it will be an undying memory for all. ”The people will be at the core of this block-buster show”, reiterated Mr. Juneau. This initiative, under study since March 2004, which is meant to bring citizens together, is finally taking flight, and the first working session starts this week with a series of meetings with the designing team. Dominique Martens, renowned author and producer, is delighted to be involved in this original, lively project. This Frenchman did not hesitate to contribute his experience and know-how: he has already participated in and created many productions, such as Vincent Depault et le Souffle de la terre in Ailly sur Noye, as well as Les Misérables in Montreuil-sur-Mer. Dominic Laprise, a Quebec City resident, composer and musical director, whose work includes the music for La Fabuleuse histoire d’un Royaume in La Baie, and the theme song of the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand, is enthusiastic at the idea of creating a megaproduction involving local participants, one that will be talked about for a long time.
Schedule for other festivities In addition to this epic, the National Battlefields Commission will set in motion a whole calendar of events to mark the year 2008, with its renewed opportunities of glamorously celebrating one of the most prestigious parks in the world. A few hours from the anniversary date of March 17, a bewitching charity ball will be held in Drill Hall (Saturday March 15). This fund raiser will launch the festivities, which will continue on Sunday March 16 with a great popular celebration that will allow residents and visitors to enjoy the winter flavour of this entertainment, befitting Quebec City, the snow capital. Mother’s Day will provide an opportunity to acquire the Abraham Martin rosebush, exclusively produced by and with the collaboration of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAC), to help carry on the horticultural heritage of the Plains of Abraham. In fact, it is during the Great Celebration of Nature, on Sunday May 11, 2008, that we will be able to breathe in the slightly spicy perfume of this Rosa Rugosa, the Plains’ emblem rose with its shiny green foliage, its half-double, pure white flower that reaches a height of 1.7 metres. The crossbreeding was performed by selector Felicitas Svejda in 1973 and chosen by Claude Richer, a research scientist with AAC, for its valuable properties. The Great Celebration of Nature will undoubtedly be the nature event par excellence, an opportunity to meet renowned experts, tread along the anniversary course to see hundred-year-old trees and admire old garden tools. For its part, the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand stage will thrill to the sounds of a special programming, marked out by memorable shows, including a great “Fête des Français”. From July 27 to August 3, 2008, the park will be the scene of a week of popular activities whose specifics will be released later on, according to the budgets allotted. Also, in October, Halloween will be invading the mysterious Joan of Arc Garden, and the Martello Tower will be haunted by the 200 years’ history of these “sea bulldogs”.
Only 600 days left The budgetary envelope allotted for these festive activities hovers around $375,000 and will be taken out of the Commission’s regular budgets and from partnerships. All these achievements will see the light, as well as other projects that should be announced shortly. Additional funds have been requested from the Canadian Government and, if this money is granted, the quality of the scheduled events can only be heightened. These festivities are thus within our means and do not contain any bad surprises. During the upcoming weeks, the 100th will be showing its colours in the park and on the city’s thoroughfares bordering the Commission sites on Grande Allée, Champlain Bboulevard and Chemin Sainte-Foy, to remind the public that it plays a major role in the celebrations. And, for those who would like to mark an event dear to their hearts, the Commission is launching its commemorative donations program, which give an opportunity to finance the planting of a tree or the making of a prestigious bench. A helpful gesture for a natural heritage, just as the park is. Over and above the preparations, the National Battlefields Commission is pursuing with great interest its talks with the Quebec Port Authority to obtain, in 2008, the management, maintenance, operations, animation and interpretation of the Bassin Brown, at the foot of the Plains of Abraham. The park’s 100th anniversary celebrations will pave the way to a commemorative series. The year 2008 will also mark the 200th anniversary of the start of the Martello Towers’ construction, 2009 will underscore the 250th anniversary of the battle of the Plains of Abraham and the following year, in 2010, the battle of Sainte-Foy will be 250 years old; a whirlwind of events which left their mark on the park’s landscape, and commemorations which will become part of history.
A wonderful story reflecting the park’s image In 1908, Lord Grey and Sir George Garneau saw their dream of creating the first national historic park become a reality thanks to an international $550,000 fund raiser, money that today would amount to 36 million dollars. The National Battlefields Park was a legacy of the Canadian Government to the City of Quebec. It was on March 17, 1908, in the wake of the organization of Quebec City’s great tricentennial celebration, that the National Battlefields Commission saw the light of day, a portfolio agency of the Heritage Canada minister, with a mission to preserve and develop this priceless gift for the population so that all Canadians could benefit and better understand the essential role it played in the country’s history. The true lungs of the city, there are four million visitors from all over the world who tread its grounds every year and help perpetuate its invaluable worth.
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