They are the ones who will scramble the eggs and sizzle the bacon and sausage for the many visitors who will arrive by 7 a.m. for a hearty breakfast.

In fact, during the three days the C’est Si Bon Café will be open, they and other volunteers will have whipped up about 60 gallons of batter to serve as many as 7,680 crepes.

These thin pancakes are so well-liked that festival organizers have decided to offer them throughout the day this year, not only for breakfast.

“For years, we’ve had so many people ask about this,” says festival coordinator and Lewiston Mayor Lionel Guay. “We’re going to see how it works for this year. Crepes are usually very popular though, so we’re excited about this.”

The Festival de Joie will open Tuesday, July 27, with a 7 p.m. concert by Just Us Entertainers at the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s in Lewiston. Prelude festivities will run Wednesday and Thursday, July 28 and 29, followed by weekend entertainment until closing ceremonies at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1.

The C’est Si Bon Café will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday. The cafe will serve meals from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Preparations for the annual festival are extensive.

“Once one year’s festival ends, we start planning for the next one by the following week,” says Don Morin, chairman of the C’est Si Bon Cafe. “It takes the work of many people, from the festival coordinator and co-chairpeople down to the volunteers. It’s a team effort. They are all wonderful and make sure that it all happens.”

With such a large quantity of food, it takes a lot of man-hours and cooperation to produce high quality food and service. A volunteer crew of 75 to 80 people rotates through three shifts, which last about four to five hours.

Morin, a festival director for 11 years and the chairman of the Café for the first time, emphasizes the time it takes to ensure prompt service and excellent food.

“Even though we don’t open until 7 a.m., it takes time to get everything ready so that we’re ready to serve when the first customer arrives. So some of the volunteers come in by 4:30 just to make sure we start the day,” he said. “Then, by the time 7 p.m. comes, we have to make sure that everything is cleaned up and ready for the next day. This can take anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours, depending on the day.”

Morin decided to become chair of the Café this year because he wanted a new challenge. It looks as if he won’t be disappointed.

What draws so many people to the Café year after year? The traditional Franco-American fare.

“When you go into the Café,” notes Fern Cloutier, one of the Festival de Joie’s founders, “there’s a line to the outside of the tent. You see all kinds of Franco-American people gathered around, sharing their foods and stories.”

Fries with gravy

Within the C’est Si Bon Cafe, people can enjoy French cuisine such as crepes, tourtiere (French-Canadian meat pies), salmon pies, blood sausages, pea soup and creton (a meat spread, like paté). Another French favorite is poutine, which is similar to french fries, but it has gravy and sometimes cheese on top. Poutine is available at the festival at one of the two canteens on the grounds. These canteens are like branches of the C’est Si Bon Cafe, and are placed in different areas of the festival grounds, so people can satisfy their grumbling stomachs as they enjoy the daily activities.

There will be plenty of other food options at the festival. Between the Café and the canteens, visitors will find steak sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, lemonade and ice cream. Morin points out that vegetarians will have some choices this year, too.

In addition, he said, “Besides the Café’s usual food, we have a bean supper scheduled for that Saturday evening. We are trying to expand our menu for all people.”

This seems to be a common theme throughout the festival.

Guay adds, “A few years ago, the board of directors realized that if we focused solely on Franco-American culture, this festival would die of. So we decided to make this a multicultural event. People who come to the festival will be able to experience food, culture and music from all over the world.”

Whether it’s scrambled eggs and bacon, crepes and poutine, or hamburgers and hot dogs, there will be something for everyone to taste and enjoy. Just remember when you see one of the many volunteers, give them a friendly smile and say, “Merci,” for their hard work.