Sainte-Rose-en-Bleu closes with ‘Souper champêtre’
Festival showcases beauty of Laval’s most historic area
Published August 11, 2010
By Martin C. Barry • NEWSFIRST

Twice a year, the Sainte Rose district of Laval becomes the focus for some of the Montreal region’s most enchanting cultural celebrations. Each winter, Sainte Rose’s historically charming main street, Boulevard Sainte Rose, comes alive with the annual Sainte-Rose-en-Blanc celebration.
Largest fireworks
Last Sunday, the summertime festivities, Sainte-Rose-en-Bleu, which goes on for days and includes concerts, shows and art displays, came to an exhultant close with the well-attended ‘Souper champêtre’ held on Sainte Rose’s waterfront. The dinner, which was attended by many dignitaries including Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, was immediately followed by what the organizers claim is one of the largest fireworks shows to be seen anywhere in Canada.
“This is one of the biggest cultural events of the season around here not only for Sainte Rose, but to which everyone in Laval is invited to come and participate in,” said Laval-des-Rapides Liberal MNA Alain Paquet, who attended the evening as a special guest, since the area is actually in his colleague Vimont Liberal MNA Vincent Auclair’s riding. “This really is an opportunity to showcase some of the more outstanding parts of our culture in Laval of which we can be very proud indeed,” said Paquet.
Auclair’s historic roots
“For patrimony and history in Laval, this is the historic heart of Laval and there is no place like Sainte Rose,” said Auclair, whose family roots go back at least six generations in Sainte Rose — virtually to the founding of the colony of New France in the 17th century. Public service at the local level goes back hundreds of years in Auclair’s family.
One of the building’s in downtown Sainte Rose which has been preserved because of its historical significance used to be the home of Auclair’s great-grandfather, who was the “beadle” of Sainte Rose, a public servant during the seigneurial regime.
Preserving Sainte Rose
Noting the concerted efforts the provincial government and the City of Laval have been making to encourage economic development in Sainte Rose, Auclair said the aim “is to make Sainte Rose the place to be in Laval” for the highest quality social and cultural events. “In all our events, we always refer back to the historical reality of Sainte Rose,” he said. “Almost everybody in Sainte Rose is of the view that we must safeguard and protect the historical reality of Sainte Rose. This is a reality that exists almost nowhere else in Laval and we’re working hard to preserve it.”