The Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins, California State Parks, and the French Consulate in San Francisco jointly announce the third edition of the French Connection Festival to celebrate the French heritage of Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
Located 26 miles northeast of Nevada City at North Bloomfield, California in the scenic foothills of the Sierra Nevada and presented in collaboration with a vibrant ecosystem of local partners, artists, guest speakers and professional guides, this free outdoor festival will host fun-filled activities, live performances, raffles, historic town tours and hikes through scenic diggings in a format designed for all ages.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2019, from 11 am – 4:30 pm. The event is free but it’s recommended to pre-register on Eventbrite.
Detailed program:
- Live French-themed music performed by Nevada County favorites Beaucoup Chapeaux. They will present selections from their French repertoire, spanning 400 years of songs and tunes!
- Guest speakers include French Consul General of France in San Francisco Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, historical Archeologist, at Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins Mark Selverston, Claudine Chalmers, PhD and author of books about French in California. And local archaeologist and author Chris Ward.
- Guided hikes will tour the historic town, buildings, cemetery, and picturesque gold mine diggings.
- Historic buildings will be open and blacksmith demonstrations will be offered throughout the day.
- The French Education in the Sacramento Area – EFSAC, will transform a corner of town into Le Village, an outdoor French language historic experience with short lessons (French for pioneers), entertainment, games, and a special treasure hunt also known as “chasse au trésor“.
- The French Consul General from San Francisco, Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens will attend.
Guests are encouraged to pre-register for the festival through the Evenbrite website, to qualify for a free raffle ticket when they check in at the welcome tent. The raffle will include French-themed gifts, as well as travel, art and food gift certificates. Silent auction items include accommodations in France! Raffle ticket holders must be at least 18 years old.
Merci to The Friends of North Bloomfield & Malakoff Diggins, merci to the Consulat Général de France à San Francisco
