Orleans is celebrating its sesquicentennial next year — and plans are already in full swing.
2010 will mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the St-Joseph d’Orleans parish and the village that sprang up around it.
One of the first French-Canadian villages east of Bytown — then the capital of Canada — Orleans has managed to hold on to its French character over the past century and a half.
The theme of the celebrations is “Let us be proud of the past, celebrate the present and prepare for the future.”
Special events and activities have been planned throughout next year, including an opening ball at St-Joseph Parish Hall and the re-enactment of the arrival of Monsignor Guigues on the shores of the Ottawa River in 1860.
“This is an opportune time to not only remember our local history, and in particular our Francophone heritage, but also to look forward to a bright future in our growing and diverse community,” said Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess.
