Acadian Archives

The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) will host a public lecture by UMFK Professor Scott Brickman at 4 p.m. on September 23. Brickman will discuss his engagement with Latvian culture. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will offer a look at how Latvians celebrate the summer solstice (Ligo/Jani) in Latvia’s capital city of Riga and its third-largest city, Liepaja. Brickman will address cultural traditions, dress, food, song, dance and language preservation. He will share original photos and videos of his time in both Riga and Liepaja over the past two years and may perform songs during the event.

“We are honored by Scott’s willingness to share his cultural explorations with the Archives and the wider community,” explains Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “We can learn a great deal from the kind of cultural exchange that he has pursued in Latvia.”

From 1940 to 1991, the small Baltic country of Latvia, which was established in 1918, was occupied by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union again. During the period of foreign control, Latvian culture and the newly standardized Latvian language were suppressed by the occupiers. Despite these challenges, the Latvian language and culture have survived.

Brickman is a professor of music and education at UMFK, where he has taught since 1997. He is a composer of contemporary classical music; his compositions are available on Amazon, Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify.

For more information, please contact Lacroix at 207-834-7535.

The Acadian Archives and Blake Library at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host acclaimed author Cathie Pelletier for a launch of her new book, “Evangeline’s Journey,” from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4. The event will be held at Blake Library.

Pelletier’s book retells the story of Evangeline, who first appeared in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1847 epic poem, “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie.” The literary classic recounts the hardships of the Acadian Deportation through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl searching for her lost love.

Pelletier provides a fresh take on the poem, maintaining the historical context while adapting the characters to a more modern sensibility. This retelling in novel form for readers of all ages makes the story accessible and teachable for today’s students.

“We always celebrate new books in Acadian history, but this one is a special treat,” says Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “Longfellow’s poem helped inspire a revival of Acadian pride. With Cathie Pelletier’s engaging retelling of Evangeline’s life as a refugee, we can again draw inspiration from the struggles and resilience of our ancestors.”

Pelletier is the author of 20 books, including her debut novel, “The Funeral Makers,” and, more recently, “Northeaster: A Story of Courage and Survival in the Blizzard of 1952.” Her other notable works include “The Weight of Winter,” winner of the New England Book Award, and “Proving Einstein Right,” co-authored with S. James Gates, Jr., which earned a Brown University Book Award.

Two of Pelletier’s books have been adapted into films. Born and raised in Allagash, Maine, she was inducted into the Maine Franco-American Hall of Fame in 2024.

This event is free and open to the public. Copies of “Evangeline’s Journey” will be available for purchase for $24.95. Pelletier will be available to discuss her work and sign copies following the presentation. The Acadian Archives will be open to visitors prior to the event.

For more information on the book launch, please contact the Acadian Archives at 207-834-7535.

The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host a book launch for local author Laurel Daigle at 5 p.m. on May 21. The event celebrates the release of Daigle’s latest work, “Little Franciscans of Mary of Fort Kent’s St. Louis Convent and School.”

The book traces the educational role played by the Little Franciscans of Mary in the St. John Valley. Originally founded in Massachusetts before establishing a motherhouse in Baie Saint-Paul, Quebec, the Sisters first arrived in the region at the invitation of Fr. Joseph Marcoux of Wallagrass. In 1906, they expanded to Fort Kent under the invitation of Fr. Arthur Décary of St. Louis Parish.

Throughout the order’s local history, more than 100 Sisters served at the St. Louis School. Daigle’s research includes detailed biographies of the Sisters who shaped the school’s history or served the community for decades. The book features a foreword by Monsignor. Jean-Paul Labrie.

“We are honored to host Laurel and highlight his impressive research,” said Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “This work will be a great complement to his prior book on Fort Kent as well as a must-read for local families.”

Daigle, a Fort Kent native and descendant of a 19th-century Acadian farming family, is a graduate of the Fort Kent State Normal School and Farmington State Teachers College. A veteran educator, he taught in Ashland and Fort Kent public schools and holds a Master of Arts from the Catholic University of America.

The book launch is free and open to the public. Daigle will be available to answer questions and discuss his research. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $15.95.

For more information, please contact the Acadian Archives at 834-7535.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) will celebrate the region’s deep-rooted cultural traditions by hosting its annual “Sucrerie” on Thursday, March 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Nowland Hall.

The tradition has historically drawn more than 200 community members to campus. This year’s event features a traditional maple taffy pull on the snow, an Acadian meal, and live entertainment by The Acadian Singers.

Northwoods Nectar will be on-site to provide free maple taffy served over fresh snow. UMFK employees will be dressed in authentic Acadian attire, provided by the Acadian Festival committee, and will serve fresh ployes made with Bouchard Family Farms mix.

A full meal and live musical entertainment are available for $15 per plate. The event committee collaborated with Sodexo dining services to curate a menu reflecting local heritage.

Specific parking areas will be designated for community members.

The “Sucrerie” is part of UMFK’s ongoing mission to preserve and foster an appreciation for Acadian and Franco-American culture.

For more information, contact the University Relations office at 834-7557 or by e-mail at: susan.tardie@maine.edu.

The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes located at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will launch its annual Acadian History Lecture Series on February 12, featuring five weeks of expert-led presentations exploring 400 years of heritage.

The series will take place every Thursday at 6 p.m. and will be entirely available through Zoom. This year’s curriculum spans a diverse range of topics, including Native-French relations, transatlantic trade networks, colonial textile culture, Louisiana myths and legends, and the experiences of Acadian soldiers during World War I.

“This annual event has grown beyond our hopes,” explains Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “In 2025, we received more than 130 registrations with people signing up from as far away as California, Alberta, and even France. Folks come back year after year because there is nothing quite like it.”

The 2026 speaker lineup includes:

• Thomas Peace, professor of history at Huron University
• Nicole Gilhuis, professor of history at Pepperdine University
• Hilary Doda, instructor in Dalhousie University’s Costume Studies program
• Nathan Rabalais, professor of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Gregory Kennedy, dean of the Faculty of Arts at Brandon University

Each lecture concludes with a Q & A segment, offering attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the scholars.

Registration is $25 for the full five-week series. The deadline to sign up is Feb 9. Interested participants can register online.

For more information, please contact the Acadian Archives at 207-834-7535 or e-mail acadian@maine.edu.

The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host author Denis Ledoux at 6:30 p.m. on Nov 20. Ledoux will discuss his new book, “Here to Stay: Lives in 17th-Century Canada.” The event is free and open to all.

In “Here to Stay,” Ledoux explores the distant history of 30% of Maine’s population who have French North American roots. Rather than focusing on politics and major events, he offers an intimate glimpse of the lives of four settlers who were not only family progenitors but Canadian pioneers struggling against near-impossible odds. “Here to Stay” is a book about heroic efforts, profound tragedy, perilous survival, and relations with Indigenous groups.

According to Leslie Choquette, a professor at Assumption University, “Ledoux has done a prodigious amount of historical research to reconstruct his ancestors’ lives and to convey the precarious nature of life in New France.”

A well-established writer, Ledoux is the author of “French Boy: A 1950s Franco-American Childhood” and the editor of “Lives in Translation: An Anthology of Contemporary Franco-American Writings.” He is also the founder of the Memoir Network, which guides everyday people through the process of creating rich, insightful, and compelling memoirs. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in education and has taught in various capacities. He resides in Lisbon Falls, ME.

“We are honored to host Denis and the launch of his new book in Aroostook County,” says Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “This is a terrific opportunity to get reacquainted with our ancestors and the history that made us.”

Ledoux will have copies of “Here to Stay” for sale. Following his presentation, he will be available to answer questions and sign books.

For more information, contact the Archives at 207-834-7536 or by email at acadian@maine.edu.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent will host its first-ever Poutine Fest on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Nowland Hall dining room. The event is open to the public.

Sodexo, UMFK’s food service provider, will serve up a special all-you-can-eat buffet featuring poutine, a classic Canadian comfort food of fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Diners will be able to taste several unique versions of the dish while also learning about its cultural history and deep ties to the St. John Valley.

The luncheon is free for UMFK students with a meal plan and for the first 50 commuter students. General admission is $13.49 per person.

“Poutine Fest is a fun way to celebrate our unique Acadian culture while bringing students and community members together over a favorite dish,” said UMFK Acadian Archives Director Patrick Lacroix.

For more information, contact the Acadian Archives at 207-834-7536 or Lisa Roy at 207-834-7504.

The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host researcher and speaker Donlon Hurtubise for a free presentation on the region’s pioneering families on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public.

The presentation, part of the Archives’ genealogy workshop series, will trace the Thibodeau family line. The story follows the family from Port Royal in the 1650s, through the 1755 deportation to Pennsylvania, and migration to Quebec City in 1765, before their settlement in L’Acadie, Quebec, by 1787.

Hurtubise will focus on a recently uncovered aspect of the family’s history: their experiences in the St. John Valley. According to scattered records, this is where Olivier Thibodeau, born in 1755, met and married Marie Cyr, born in 1757, and started their family before they returned to Quebec.

Hurtubise is a Franco-American of Canadian and Acadian descent. After a 41-year career with Exxon Mobil Corporation, he retired five years ago to The Woodlands, Texas, and now researches his predominantly French-Canadian heritage. An active member of several genealogical societies, he has lectured on Acadian history in Houston and Beaumont, Texas, two communities with significant Acadian descendant populations.

“One of the joys of Acadian culture is the connection it offers to folks near and far, from the Valley to southern Quebec and from Pennsylvania to Texas,” said Acadian Archives director Patrick Lacroix. “Donlon will help us navigate through tangled Acadian lines, especially in places where few sources survive.”

For more information, contact the Archives at 207-834-7536 or by email at acadian@maine.edu.

The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host a free public presentation by UMFK Professor of Music and Education Scott Brickman on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m.

Professor Dr. Brickman will discuss the musical culture of Latvia, which he personally experienced during a sabbatical in 2022-2023 and many times since. Latvia, located in Eastern Europe, is a former part of the U.S.S.R. with a land area slightly smaller than Maine. Despite a history of foreign control, Latvia has maintained a rich and vibrant culture that continues to provide inspiration to other small nations.

With his characteristic energy, Brickman will provide historical context, share recordings, and discuss how Latvian traditions are expressed today. Attendees will also learn about his Latvian and Polish genealogical journey.

“Scott will broaden our horizons and bring much-needed perspective on small, embattled cultures,” said Acadian Archives director Patrick Lacroix. “In the course of an evening, he will help us forge connections half a world away.”

For more information, contact the Archives at (207) 834-7536 or by email at acadian@maine.edu.

The Acadian Archives, located on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus, will host its annual Acadian History Lecture Series on February 13th and run each Thursday at 6 p.m. for five weeks.

The entire series will be available virtually through Zoom. These talks will cover about 400 years of Acadian history, from the beginnings of French communities to women’s experiences of displacement to the cultural aftermath of the Congrès mondial acadien.

The upcoming edition will feature experts who study various aspects of Acadian history and culture, including Andrew Beaupre, curator of archeological collections at the Maine State Museum; André-Carl Vachon, author of many works of Acadian history; Anne Marie Lane Jonah, a Nova Scotia-based historian for Parks Canada; Colby Gaudet, cultural historian and recent graduate of Concordia University; and Christina Keppie, director of the Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University.

“This will be the fourth edition in this virtual format,” explains Patrick Lacroix, Director of the Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes. “Every year we discover new interest in the Acadian story. In 2024, we had attendees from 21 states and five Canadian provinces. I think that speaks to our presenters’ engaging research, but also to attendees’ deeply felt connection to their past and to the larger Acadian community. We are pleased to fulfill our educational mission and raise awareness about Acadian culture.”

As in past years, the $25 registration fee covers all five talks.

Register online at the Acadian Archives website.

For more information, please contact the Acadian Archives at (207) 834-7535 or by e-mail at acadian@maine.edu.