LEWISTON — Normand J. Rivard recently donated four Franco-American Flags to the Franco-American Heritage Center. The flags are now located at the entryway of both the Performance Hall main lobby and the office and Heritage Hall entryways.
The flags were designed many years ago by a brother of the Sacred Heart. There are six stars that indicate the six New England states that the Canadian immigrants settled in: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The two maple leaves represent Canada and the fleur de lis a symbol for the French.
Rivard donated these flags along with custom made flagpoles that have a fleur de lis at the top and a bronze engraved stand.
The official Franco-American flag designed by Robert Couturier in 1983 was officially adopted by the Northeast United States in Manchester, N.H., and by the Assembly of the Franco-Americans in Makinac, Mich. They are also located in both halls at the center.
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- Normand J. Rivard recently donated four Franco-American flags to the Franco-American Heritage Center. He is pictured with Rita Dube, executive director of the center. The painting on the wall is an original by Donald Bard donated to the center by Harvey Patry in 2009. It depicts the housing units located on Cedar and Canal streets circa 1938, “The Hill Blocks.”
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