JAY – With crepes in their hands and folk music in their ears, proud Franco-Americans from all over Maine came together to celebrate the second annual Terre pis Ciel Saturday, Aug. 7.

Adelle St. Pierre, a Jay resident and longtime supporter of Franco-American heritage, again opened her family farm to all those interested in revitalizing the Franco-American community. In its first year, the festival attracted more than 600 people and with much of the same entertainment and attractions scheduled for this year, an even larger turnout was expected.

Food for the event was provided by several area organizations, including the Knights of Columbus in Fairfield and the local Daughters of Isabella Catholic association. Whether it was creton – a traditional meat paste spread over toast, or “tourtire avec cornichon” – pork pie with a pickle, attendees could purchase various traditional Franco-American cuisine throughout the day. Hot dogs, hamburgers and slow-roasted brisket sandwiches were among the new additions to the festival this year.

The festival also featured several performances of folk music, dance, theater and literature. St. Pierre started off the day with a performance of music and hand-made puppets, courtesy of Josh Anchors and local harmonica enthusiast Fred Legere, while last year’s favorites La Grand’ Dbacle roused the crowd once again. Hailing from the town of Ste. Marie in the Beauce region of Quebec, the band treated the crowd with a high-energy performance of jigs and reels played on fiddle, accordion, guitar and percussion, with plenty of singing and step dancing.

Also performing were folk singer and Quebec native Jose Vachon, Franco-American master fiddler Don Roy and his pianist wife, Cindy, and bassist Jay Young. The crowd also saw its share of original theater, with a one-act play and some papier-mach creations from Hightower & Sparks. Also on the ticket were performances from the Moose Creek Cloggers and the Muddy Bottoms.

Franco-American writers Rhea Cote-Robbins, Doris Provencher-Faucher and Normand Beaupr were also in attendance, promoting their works.

“This is a good venue for bringing the Franco-American family together,” said Beaupr.

The event was funded in part by a grant from the Maine Community Council. St. Pierre plans to use any leftover money for the addition of a stage for next year’s festival.