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Quoi de neuf / Infolettre

Bastille Day - What's the Big Deal?   

This coming Saturday's Bastille Festival in Director Park in downtown Portland, noon to 6 p.m., will draw visitors from the Pacific Northwest and from as far away as New York. It is the ONLY large-scale Bastille festival on the West Coast, free to the public. It represents the one time per year where virtually all of our area's French-connected schools and businesses join together in support of a public event. So we encourage all to "venir nombreux" to enjoy the live music, great cuisine, French wine garden, and more. Read on for more details and view a handy preview of the event brochure by clicking here (just over 1MB). The brochure has all the event info as well as excellent resources for French in the Pacific Northwest. 

Easy Ways to Enjoy the Day, the Sunshine  

Saturday's forecast is for sun and the high will be around 90. Fortunately, Director Park features a refreshing breeze, and the park PerrierOnIce grounds will be liberally dotted with Perrier and Belleruche umbrellas as well as shade trees. Finally, you'll find plenty of chilled Perrier as well as NESTLE Pure Life water available at low prices. And then of course many will opt to cool off in the wine garden (see the Hardy article below). 

Logistics and Essentials Like Cuisine!  

Getting there: Use any downtown parking lot or take the MAX or streetcar to Director Park, which is on the west side of Fox Tower (near Nordstrom), between SW Park and SW 9th, and Taylor and Yamhill. There will be excellent cuisine available at festival booths on SW Park, including crowd favorites such as the Heathman, C'est Si Bon (crpes), Brasserie Montmartre and St Honor. New options include organic, locally made CREME BRULEE. Click here for the complete cuisine line-up with price points at just $5-9 - perfect for grazing, sharing, sampling!  

Hardy Cognac Cocktails and More  

National and regional representatives of French cognac Hardy will be offering refreshing cocktails made with Cognac, Serata Amaretto, and Joseph Cartron Crme de Framboise. Also available in the wine garden will be French wine presented by Young's Market, as well the classic French wine aperitif, Lillet (red, white and ros�), Oregon beer and European-style craft cider. Click here for the delicious Hardy cocktails and here for the wine list. Please plan to present your I.D. (no matter your age) for access to the wine and cognac garden.  

Win Big, Win Prizes Including Chic Totes     

Bastille Day will host close to 30 vendors and exhibitors; click here for the complete list. Visit the Alliance booth for souvenir T-shirts and complimentary French travel literature, maps and magazines. Buy $5 raffle tickets to win $1500 in prizes, including premium restaurant certificates, French classes and more. Three winners' names will be drawn at the close of the festival on July 12; winners need not be present to win. The Alliance will also have a $1 spin-the-wheel game where players of all ages can win trendy shopping totes from the world-famous Galeries Lafayette and more.  

Waiters Race, 2CV, Facepainting and More   

Several exhibitors will offer activities for children throughout the Waiters Race 2012 park. Visit the FAIS & Alliance sponsor tents for professional airbrush face-painting. Look for the 2CV exhibit (a truly iconic French automobile) by John Blackwell. Finally, don't forget to plan your day to include the Portland Waiters Race at 2 p.m. (There are a couple openings for waiters; visit the Waiters registration page.) 

 

Dates to Remember
July 11: PETANQUE Tournament Starts at Westmoreland Park
July 12: Bastille Day in Director Park
July 14-18: Summer Camp (ages11-14)
July 28-Aug. 1: Immersion Week at the Alliance
August 7: Concours de Tartes aux fruits at MAC - Tickets Available
Quick Web Links

 Summer Term in progress - some late enrollments possible.

 Visit www.afportland.org 

 

Conversation Groups

Hosted by Alliance staff or board members. Drop-ins welcome; membership is encouraged but not required.

 NW Portland

St Honor on NW Thurman on Wed., July 16 at 6:00 p.m.

SE Portland

At Chez Machin, Mon., Aug. 11 at 7:00 p.m. & at Vie de Bohme weekly on Sundays, 4-5:30 p.m.

 Vancouver

 Lapellah/Vancouver group is breaking for the summer.

 

  

Bastille Premium Sponsors

Hardy

  

FAIS BD

 

 

 

 Perrier

 Annual In-Kind Sponsors

 Oregonian2013   

PClogo

 

More Bastille Activity at the Park and Around Town,
Plus Limited-Time Promotions  
   
   French Used Book Sale: At Director Park on Saturday will be Oregon's largest one-day French book sale, including classics, contemporary novels and magazines - with pricing as low as 25 cents. Visit the book sales booth in the center of the park.
   Tuileries Exhibit Coupon for $20 Savings: If you haven't visited the world-class Tuileries exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, note that the inside page of the program brochure (available in hardcopy on Saturday; or simply print the coupon page by clicking here) includes a 2-for-1 offer. Present the page at the art museum to get two entrances (adult regular price admissions) to the Tuileries exhibit, for the price of one - a savings of close to $20. This special offer is available to all festival attendees and to ALL bulletin readers - remember to visit the exhibit between now and September 21, 2014.
   "Things Might Have Turned Out Differently If She'd Spent Her Spare Time Reading France Magazine . . ." - France Magazine is a high quality English-language magazine, a trusted source for the best of French culture, travel and art de vivre. For Bastille Day, they are offering the lowest price ever for subscriptions, $17.89 (clever!) - which is even lower than the price on Amazon. So, as the magazine warns, don't make a royal mistake - subscribe now! The offer is valid till August 15. To see the full story and to check into the special savings, click here. Enjoy the substantial offer, which is nicely presented with a touch of humor.

    Perrier:  Occasionally Costco lowers its price on Perrier cases. Effective 7/10, through 8/3, pick up Perrier at Costco for big savings ($3.50 off, per case).

    Alliance Organization Member VIE DE BOHEME in SE Portland is offering French wine flights and live French music starting at 8pm on Saturday, July 12, for the Bal des pompiers. Cover charge is $8 or $10 (with reserved seating); food and drinks are paid separately. Alliance members will get $2 off their first drink when they show their membership card. Click here for the event flyer. 

   ST HONORE BOULANGERIE will not only be in Director Park on Saturday but also offers live music and other Bastille festivities on both Sunday and Monday at its three locations. Visit their Bastille page for details. The bakery is also featuring a Bastille Day tarte, pictured here. Cultural lesson: though the French flag features the same three colors as the U.S. flag, an important distinction is the order. Americans refer to "red, white & blue" and the French refer to their colors as "bleu, blanc, rouge" (always in that order).  

   Need French-speaking sitters or tutors for your children? The Alliance is seeking to help a young French-American woman (who is completely bilingual) find babysitting jobs this summer. The mature 18-year-old, from Paris, is visiting family here in Portland this July and August, and has the right to work in the U.S. Email [email protected] if you would like more info. 

   PETANQUE Tournament: The inaugural Rose City PETANQUE Tournament (mentioned in earlier bulletins) runs July 11-13 at Westmoreland Park. Complete details are on the web page. 

   French-English interpreter is needed for a three-hour business assignment on Monday, July 14. Email [email protected] for further info.   

   Alliance Member Le Bouchon celebrates Bastille Day with a special menu - check in with owner Claude Musquin for details on the annual event, which also celebrates the restaurant's birthday.        

  

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