An excursion. (long)

 Gail had told me that she was participating in an art show in conjunction with the Le Rondezvous celebration in Richer this weekend.  The weekend had originally been planned for a studio art tour of the area, where people go from studio to studio.  The Le Rondezvous celebration was a Manitoba 150 event that had been postponed from last year, so the two events ere combined.  There have been quite a few such celebration in towns all over the province.  The recent concert at the Forks where Bachman and Cummings reunited, was one such, and shown on CTV nationally.  Gail further told us that this event would include the arrival of Red River carts travelling the Old Dawson Trail from further east.  We decided to go out there Saturday.

We first found the Area Museum in an old church that was also a historic religious site complete with a cairn/small grotto.  The art show was inside the museum and there was large Farmers' Market in the parking lot, plus parked cars for both directions down the street.  We found a spot and then discovered that my walker had been left behind.  We persevered and made it into the church.  I was quite impressed with some of the art I saw.  There was lady who sold buttons, but also used them in creating art.  We spoke for awhile and I was equally impressed with her deer hide dress, obviously made to fit her. It made quite a picture with her long blond hair.  I also ran into a Metis beader.  Absolutely wonderful work, priced according to the skill shown.  She was also a relatively new book binder and combined both beading and bookbinding into her work.  I doubt she sold much given her prices, but I was very impressed.  We chatted with Gail for awhile, and she gave us a couple of passes into the Rodeo ground where the actual event was being held.

Then we hit the Farmers' Market where I bought a large cookie ( it was awful!) and David bought a 2kg tub of honey.  There were all sorts of booths there including someone selling tanned fur hides and a Tarot card reader.

As we were walking back to the car we saw a horse-drawn wagon and found out it was taking people back and forth to the Rodeo ground and the Church.  Turned out there were three of them going around and around, but we stuck with the car.

It was a very long walk from the parking area to the "Dawson Trail Park" as we found out the area, which included the Rodeo Ground,  was called.  I had forgotten to take my camera into the Museum, but remembered it at the park.

The first three pictures are of the Teepees and two obviously reproduction Red River carts.  They were close together, but that was all we could see of what we had thought would be more of a temporary settlement.  Turns out that this was it.  These two carts were the only one involved in the trek.

In the distance, behind the Tee-pee, you can see the huge tent was being used for the live music.  The people in front of it will give you an idea of the size.

I was quite taken with the pink and blue Port-a-potties, outside a huge tent, one of the largest I've ever seen.  You can see one of the Horse-drawn wagons unloading behind the young fellow in the foreground.

It was quite a large park  and I was impressed at how they had retained some old, old trees.  So much history in trees.

There was a general store on the grounds--the smallest general store I've ever seen.  It sold souvenirs and candy.

There was a very large picnic area, L-shaped. Behind it you can see the tent that had been erected for the event.  Between the tent and the sitting area was a parking lot where there was a Poutine food truck, and a large B-B-Q area that had obviously seen set up for the event. The other half of the L-shaped sitting area is off to the left and we chose to sit there in the shade while we ate some of the best French Fries I've had in a very long time.

The big tent was being used for what they called a "Busking area".  There was almost constant music but it was so loud we just wanted to stay well away.  We saw a couple of ladies in "Ribbon Dresses", one of whom was carrying a bunch of hoops, so we figured that there had been some of that type of entertainment as well.

We stayed for awhile and then made our way home.  There was just so much walking, that I slept for awhile, before a pizza supper and a very quiet evening.