Ray Chouinard of the former C’est Si Bon Band will make a rare appearance.

BERLIN, N.H. – Northern Forest Heritage Park will present a cast of exceedingly talented French-Canadian, New Hampshire and New England musicians and dancers for a weekend celebration beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, July 25, with the Offshore Aces Cajun Band Concert at the Northern Forest Heritage Park’s Riverside Amphitheater.

On Saturday, July 26, there will be nonstop entertainment on two stages that will include Quebec’s “Cultural Ambassador,” accordionist and singer Denis Cote, accompanied by guitarist Fred Levesque; the Granite State Cloggers; the award-winning humorist brothers Lionel et Pierre; local guitarist, Bob Baillargeron, Henri Riendeau, nationally re-nown local fiddler and Alex Doherty; the Offshore Aces Cajun Band workshops; a rare performance by Ray Chouinard, the leader of the now retired C’est Si Bon band; Dick Coffin’s “Dum Dum Silly Willy Puppet Show, a fun-filled comedy and musical show; and a presentation of the book, “The Giving Tree.”

This year’s festival grand finale will be a traditional “soiree Canadienne” that many French-Canadian descendents remember so well growing up in their own families. Leading the audience in a rare appearance will be Ray Chouinard, lead musician of the now retired C’est Si Bon Band in Lewiston, Maine. Chouinard will be accompanied by Denis Cote and Fred Levesque.

Friday night concert admission prices are as follows: adults $10, youth 6 to 12 $5, youth under 6 free. All day Saturday Festival: adults $12, youth 6 to 12 $6, youth under 6 free. Bring proof of your Coos County residency to receive a $2 discount for an adult ticket and $1 discount for ages 6 to 12.

The Northern Forest Heritage Park is on the Androscoggin River, three quarters of a mile from downtown Berlin, N.H., at 961 Main St. The park is a nonprofit organization with a commitment to tell the stories of the working forest and to celebrate the region’s diverse cultural heritage. At its eight-acre site, which includes a circa 1900 logging camp replica and an amphitheater, the Park hosts a series of events, workshops, and annual festivals, such as the Festival du Bois, held this year July 25 and 26 and the return of the Lumberjack Competitions held on June 29 and Sept. 21. The Brown Company House Museum exhibit, Berlin and the Brown Co. at the Heart of the Working Forest and the Artisans Gift Shop and Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Heritage boat tours on the Androscoggin River depart Wednesday throurh Sunday. For more information and a free calendar, call (603) 752-7202, or visit www.northernforestheritage.org