Meeting: 14 Sept 2002
September 14, 2002 Meeting
Bonjour Cousins et Cousines,
On Saturday, September 14, 2002 several members of Les Guidry d'Asteur met in Lafayette, LA to discuss our family association and to continue planning our 2004 Guedry-Labine Family Reunion in Nova Scotia. Many thanks to Elaine Clement and CODOFIL for continuing to let us use their superb meeting facilities. I am happy to note that we have seen many successes in Les Guidry d'Asteur and preparations for the Reunion.
Attached is a current list of the officers, committee chairpersons and committee members of Les Guidry d'Asteur. [Note: I included attachments in three formats to accommodate different computers and programs - MacIntosh Clarisworks, IBM Word, IBM Wordperfect.] Over the past month we have added a couple of new committee members and we welcome them aboard. The committee chairs and committee members of Les Guidry d'Asteur are already working very hard for you and Les Guidry d'Asteur. The quickness with which each of the committees began functioning and supporting the association is amazing. Everyone quickly adapted to using e-mail to support communications with the trusty telephone as a backup. By design our committee members are spread throughout the U. S. and Canada - thus precluding the normal face-to-face meetings.
I thank each of the committee chairs and members for the quick startup of your committees and your strong support of the association. Soon we should be seeing many new things from our association including continued expansion of our website, an internet Store selling Guedry-Labine related items, a rapid growth in membership in the association, a very efficient system for disbursing funds needed by the committees as well as a strong accounting system, a very unique wave of publicity announcements on Les Guidry d'Asteur across the U. S. and Canada and an enthusiastic group of folks answering your questions and queries on the Guedry-Labine family history and genealogy. And you may even find a couple of pleasant surprises along the way.
At the suggestions of a couple of our members, we've initiated two new projects: € The Les Guidry d'Asteur Genealogical Book Project € The Guedry-Labine Cookbook Project
In an earlier announcement this week I explained the Les Guidry d'Asteur Book Project to everyone. We are beginning to receive some financial donations and look forward to purchasing additional copies of Guedry-Labine genealogical books and placing them in key genealogical libraries. Since that note, I have learned that Daryl Labine has donated two of his books to the two Canadian research centers in Moncton and Pointe-de-l'Egise. Each of our four authors of Guedry-Labine books have made substantial donations to this Project to benefit our membership. Now let's support them by donating financially to the project so that we can place a set of the four books in at least genealogical libraries used by Guedry and Labine researchers. Send your donations to myself at the address below. Make your check payable to Les Guidry d'Asteur, Inc. and, if possible, include the words "Book Project" in the lower left corner.
We also introduced the Guidry Cookbook Project in an earlier announcement. As we approach the holiday season and our cooking intensifies, take a few moments to jot down that favorite Guedry-Labine recipe (new or old) and send it to Jack Guidry. I've included the original anouncement with Jack's contact information at the end of this summary. And don't forget those unique holiday dinners and treats that your family is known for. Uhmm - I'm getting hungry.
As you consider what family history and genealogical organizations you will be supporting this year, please consider joining Les Guidry d'Asteur. We certainly need your support and our members are working hard to assist your study of our family and plan the 2004 Reunion of the Guedry-Labine family in Clare and Lunenburg during August, 2004. The annual membership fee (which for 2002 covers from now through December, 2003) is very reasonable. And we are working to provide a couple of unique benefits for our members. You may wish to consider providing support at the dit Jovial, dit Labine or dit Grivois level. A membership form is attached for you to use or you may visit The Guédry & Petitpas Family website for a copy of the Membership Application. It's at:
https://guedryfamily.guedry.org/
Planning for the 2004 Reunion continues at a rapid pace. We have registered our Reunion with the Congrès Mondial Acadien 2004 (August 5th at Clare and August 7th at Lunenburg). Next week we will be registering our Canadian equivalent organization (Les Guédry d'Asteur Genealogical Association) with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks. Although this has been a very tedious process, we are nearing the final registration at this time.
The folks in Nova Scotia are as enthusiastically awaiting our arrival of our family in August, 2004 as we are at meeting them and enjoying several days together. Felice Guidry Belliveau in Clare, NS along with her enthusiastic team are actively planning for our arrival. Felice has accepted the challenge of coordinating our Clare Reunion on August 5th. The meeting hall has been reserved, work has begun on our opening ceremonies, meals are being planned and entertainment is being considered. Yvonne Mosley continues to work very closely with us in preparing for the Lunenburg Reunion on August 7th. The two phases of the Reunion (Clare and Lunenburg) will be different and unique. I know everyone will long remember both. We'll provide firm details as we get closer to 2004 and have firmed up the planning. Both phases of the Reunion will include memorable opening and closing ceremonies, enjoyable entertainment, a meal, Guedry-Labine items for sale, genealogical and family history displays and a possible crafts area. To the extent possible, we will try to have a Guedry-Labine flavor to everything - that is, we would like to have Guedry and Labine family members as part of the entertainment and to showcase Guedry and Labine craftspeople, etc.
Since accomodations in Nova Scotia may be tight in August, 2004, I encourage everyone to reserve your lodgings early. Some lodgings in Nova Scotia are not taking reservations until 2003, but with a little persistence, you should be able to find very nice accomodations that are accepting reservations at this time. The Clare region is having 12 family reunions between August 5th and August 14th. At this time we are the only Reunion on August 5th. Lunenburg is having a major festival the same weekend as our Reunion - August 7th. Although this will be an added and exciting attraction for those attending the Reunion, it may also lead to tight accommodations. I would encourage folks to at least reserve the nights of August 4th and 5th in the Clare area and the nights of August 6th and 7th in the Lunenburg area. Alternatively, we are working to provide bus service from Lunenburg to Clare on August 5th for those folks who may want to stay in Lunenburg and travel to Clare for the Reunion. The bus would leave early on August 5th from Lunenburg for Clare and return to Lunenburg late in the evening after our Reunion ends. The distance between the two towns is about 2 1/2 hours. Please let me know if you would be interested in this alternative. Just trying to determine if there is interest in pursing this option.
In conjunction with our Reunion in Clare and Lunenburg, we are exploring the possibility of sponsoring an historical tour of the Clare region and the Lunenburg region the day after each Reunion (August 6th in Clare and August 8th in Lunenburg). Our focus would be on areas and sites related to the Guedry and Petitpas families and the Acadians; however, we would also include other unique sites of the area. If you would be interested in attending these tours, please let me know. Just trying to get an idea if it is worth pursuing. We would probably charge a small fee to cover bus expenses, etc.
Some folks have asked why we are having a Reunion in both Clare and Lunenburg. Lunenburg is where Claude Guedry and Marguerite Petitpas spent a good portion of their lives and where they raised their family. Thus it is our roots. After the expulsion of the Acadians from Acadie in the 1755-1763 timeframe, some Acadians were able to return to their beloved Acadie (now known as Nova Scotia); however, they were not able to return to their actual homelands. Most settled in southwestern Nova Scotia along St. Mary's Bay. The Guedry family settled in the Meteghan River area of St. Mary's Bay in the Municipality of Clare. Thus our Reunion in Clare to meet and share our experiences with our cousins of Nova Scotia. Two unique areas of Nova Scotia - two areas with Guedry ties.
Finally, Les Guidry d'Asteur is planning two activities in the Spring of 2003 - a Mini-Reunion for family members and participation in the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial at Rayne, LA on June 13-15, 2003. The Mini-Reunion will be a day for Guedry family members to gather together for a good time (as they say in south Louisiana - Les Bon temps rouler) and energize us toward the 2004 Reunion. As with all events in south Louisiana, cooking will be the center of attention, but we'll have other things to do also. The date is not set yet, but we've begun some planning and should firm things in a couple of months.
Our next meeting of Les Guidry d'Asteur will be Sunday, November 3rd at the CODOFIL office in downtown Lafayette at 1:30 pm. If possible, please try to attend and participate in your association.
Thanks,
Marty
Marty Guidry
6139 North Shore Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
guidryrmartin@gmail.com
Les Guidry d'Asteur
https://guedryfamily.guedry.org/
THE GUEDRY-LABINE COOKBOOK
Food is the glue that sticks us all together. Family gatherings are very often based upon the tradition of "breaking bread" together. For that reason we are putting together a Guedry-Labine cookbook .
The purpose in general is two-fold.
1. To share the different cooking styles of our families.
2. To preserve and memorialize recipes of our ancestors.
Very simply, the first cookbook will contain what we can gather in the next year or so. This one (The First Edition) will be available for the 2004 Guedry-Labine Reunion. We will continue to gather recipes and add them to the First Edition for publication in the Second Edition for the reunion following 2004.
Recipe format
--- Pick a Category ---
Main Dishes Beef & Pork, Seafood, Poultry, Wild Game, Vegetables,
Bakery, Appetizers/Beverages, Deserts, other
--- Ingredients ---
If you don't have the exact ingredients estimate them as best you can.
--- Preparation ---
1. Define chopping method, i.e. Minced, diced, cubed, etc.
2. Types and sizes of pots to use.
3. What ingredient to add at what time during preparation.
4. How long to cook each portion.
--- Story ---
If you have a story behind the recipe please add that too.
- Origin -
1. Identify the origin (City or Town, State/Province and Country) of the recipe if other than your own, and, your name.
2. Identify the recipe as "Today" if this recipe is a variation of an old recipe, or is an original creation of your own.
3. Identify the recipe as "Yesteryear" if the recipe is from an ancestor and was handed down to you.
Fax the recipe to 337-837-3090, or, email to jackgui@cox-internet.com
Les Guidry d'Asteur is sponsoring the compiling and publication of the cookbook.