Countdown to Lake Champlain Quadricentennial
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By Bruce Hyde - Published: December 30, 2008
In 2009, Vermont will mark the 400th anniversary of Champlain's journey. The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebration is an historic opportunity that Vermont continues to embrace and plan for, thanks to a collaborative effort between hundreds of dedicated volunteers, organizations and communities.
The Vermont Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, a 26-member board established by Executive Order by Gov. Jim Douglas in 2003, has been actively planning the anniversary celebration for five years. The Commission is promoting a variety of Quadricentennial events that will focus on everything from French heritage to Native American culture to maritime history.
Vermont will kick off the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial on Dec. 31 at the First Night celebration in Burlington. Throughout 2009, Vermonters and visitors will enjoy a host of musical performances, art exhibits, bike and paddling tours, culinary events, history and natural history tours, interactive activities, cultural demonstrations, and community festivals, as well as the Celebrate Champlain Burlington International Waterfront Festival July 2-14, 2009 in Burlington. More than 75 Vermont events have become part of the year long celebration throughout the Champlain Basin and beyond.
One of our goals is to attract thousands of new visitors to the Champlain Valley region. In 1909, more than 65,000 people participated in the Lake Champlain Tercentenary celebration in Burlington, including President Taft along with heads of state of Canada, France and the United Kingdom. The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial is expected to draw thousands of people from around the world to the Lake Champlain region throughout 2009.
While Vermont has certainly faced challenges along the way, collaboration has been a vital component to this process and will be important to the success of the Quadricentennial. Aside from working with many communities and organizations around the state, the Vermont Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission is also working closely with Quebec and France. Beginning with explorer Samuel de Champlain, who was born in Brouage, France, and was the founder of Quebec City one year before setting out on a mission to Lake Champlain. Vermont, Quebec and France share many cultural, social and historical connections.
In 2007, Vermont officials and the French government signed a landmark agreement to actively cross-promote tourism in Vermont and France over the next three years with a primary focus on the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial commemoration. This is the first agreement between the Maison de la France, also known as the French Government Tourism Office, and the United States.
In July, a delegation of more than 40 Vermont officials, including Gov. Jim Douglas, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss, traveled to Quebec City to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city. Celebrations included a reception aboard the Lois McClure schooner and a ceremony dedicating two Barre, Vermont, granite monuments presented as gifts to Quebec City from Vermont and New England. Premier Jean Charest and Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume and other Quebec officials enthusiastically participated in the Vermont events.
Our ongoing outreach to promote the Quadricentennial and our continued efforts to encourage involvement from citizens and communities near and far is an approach that is working for Vermont. As we prepare to commemorate Lake Champlain's Quadricentennial in 2009, Vermont enthusiastically welcomes this historic opportunity to celebrate and explore Samuel de Champlain's extraordinary legacy and the more than 10,000 years of Native American settlements.
Bruce Hyde is Vermont's Tourism & Marketing Commissioner and Chair of the Vermont Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission. For more information, visit CelebrateChamplain.org.
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