CCFPG's Renée Trépanier welcomes guests to the kick-off of FrancoFun 2014 at The Exploration Place  

Prince George, BC – An art and artisan exhibit at The Exploration Place marked the opening of the 29th annual Festival D'Hiver in Prince George last night and the start of two weeks of events hosted by Le Cercle des Canadiens français…

Speaking to those gathered, Prince George-Valemount MLA, Shirley Bond, pointed to the musicians and artists on-hand as examples Le Cercle's long history of sharing French culture, expertise and talent with the larger community.  "(The festival) is a wonderful celebration and it's a chance to learn," said Bond, "How diverse our community is – and it's rich because of the cultural heritages that we have in our city, in our province and our country."

Executive Director of The Exploration Place, Tracy Calogheros, said the art display has been receiving rave reviews from visitors to the museum since the pieces went up at the start of the week.

Included in the exhibit were several works by artist, Marthe Collin (at right in photo).  

Moving to Prince George from France four years ago, Collin is one of the many within the Franchophone community who are eager to share their talents.

She brought along her student, 11-year-old Emmelin Leclerc, to paint at last night's opening celebration.  Although only beginning lessons this month, Emmelin's work displays a lot of natural ability, says her proud mentor.

At right, weaver, Marie-Claire Caron, explains some of the basics of the art form to Louise Power.  Caron was drawn into weaving by extended family in Quebec.

A number of Caron's pieces, including a woven blanket, are part of the exhibit.

Other Festival D'Hiver activities include a cinema night at CNC on Tuesday evening at 6:30pm, a skating night at the ice oval on Thursday, and the always-popular Sugar Shack brunch at St. Mary's Hall next Saturday, February 1st, between 9am and 3pm.  For tickets and more information, call CCFPG at 250-561-2565.  A complete listing of events is available here.