2004 Lunenburg Reunion

by Marty Guidry

Under overcast skies, but with bright spirits, approximately 130 Guedry, Labine, and Petitpas descendants gathered at the Fire Hall in Lunenburg for the Guedry-Labine & Petitpas reunion.

As registration drew to a close, the Lunenburg Town Crier, Mr. William Cluett, rang the town bell and read a proclamation welcoming everyone to old Merligueche for this special occasion. Mayor Mahwinney then provided a brief overview of Lunenburg and thanked us all for returning to our ancestral lands.

Although we planned to have our opening ceremony outdoors at the Old French Cemetery, light rains forced all morning activities indoors. Marty Guidry opened the reunion with a formal dedication of the Old French Cemetery. He discussed the unique relationship between the early Acadian settlers of Merligueche - including the Guedry and Petitpas families - and the English sailors visiting Merligueche harbor.

Isolated from the main Acadian populations, the Guedrys and Petitpas aided the sailors with fresh water and supplies - often even warning them of impending attacks by the Indians.

As these Acadians aged and died, they were buried in the Old French Cemetery. Later, as Europeans settled on these lands and founded Lunenburg in 1753, they offered relief to a group of displaced Acadians from Louisbourg who were returning briefly to their homeland in 1754. Today, bones of these Lunenburgers are buried here among those of the early Acadian settlers of Merligueche.

During a short break folks met their cousins from other parts of North America and renewed old acquaintances. They were able to purchase Guedry-Labine momentos such as T-shirts, pins and books and enjoy several Guedry-Labine family displays including “Guedrys Who Have Served Their Nation” about family members who have served in the military, “Migration of the Guedrys” describing graphically how our family dispersed across the world during 1750-1800, “Some Folks Making Our Name Known" detailing interesting occupations and avocations of Guedrys and Labines, and "Labines in Minnesota" providing a history of this unique branch of the Guedry family.

Soon the unique sound of Acadian music for Des Ipeadiens drew everyone to their seats. With over 150 years of musical experience among them, Jacques Arsenault, Peter Arsenault, Sylvie Toupin, Patricia Richard, Mario Robichaud, and Gary Gallant - all from Prince Edward Island - keep Acadian music alive in the Atlantic provinces. Playing a very lively style of music, this outstanding group soon had folks stomping their feet and clapping their hands. As they chatted back and forth among themselves and with us, the love that they held for their Acadian music shone brightly.

As Des Ipeadiens departed, Ms. Joan Dawson, noted Acadian historian from LaHave, provided a unique history of Merligueche from its earliest days to the founding of Lunenburg. Woven into the story of Merligueche were numerous glimpses into the lives of Claude Guedry & Marguerite Petitpas and their families, relatives, and friends. Scraps of our family's history, easily lost in the mass of historical papers, were rescued and presented to us in an interesting and informative story. All were very appreciative of Ms. Dawson's outstanding research and presentation of our family's history at Merligueche.

With noon approaching and the sun now shining, the aroma of chowder cooking in the kitchen permeated the room. We all enjoyed a wonderful Lunenburg meal of seafood chowder and clam chowder, with hot dogs and hamburgers for the young. The food, prepared by the firemen, was plentiful and very tasty - a nice addition to our reunion. As cleanup began, Susan Corkum-Greek took the podium to introduce Lunenburg tradition into our reunion.

As she described the attire of the traditional Lunenburg lobsterman, she outfitted herself in the garb - right down to the very fashionable rubber boots. Then we were all introduced to the fare in old Lunenburg. Each got a taste of pickled herring, sauerkraut, other delicacies, and a dash of dark rum to wash it down. Not exactly what I'd call the perfect meal - but palatable. All enjoyed an entertaining and interesting introduction to Lunenburg of the late 1700's.

Livening up the day, Lyle Guidry and the New Pine Grove Boys from Iota, Louisiana cranked up their accordion and fiddles with some down-home Cajun music. Lyle, Brian Miller, Blake Miller, Jay Miller, Larry Miller, Brandon Moreau, and Gavin Guidry had everyone's toes tapping as they entertained us with Louisiana Cajun music. It wasn't long before the dance floor filled with folks waltzing and two-stepping. All enjoyed not only the great music, but also the interesting tidbits Cajun culture and music history interspersed with the songs. And having our Guidry cousins Lyle and Gavin playing for us was a real treat. They're very talented young men.

Again we could smell the aroma of cooking in the kitchen. This time, however, it was Cajun cooking by our own chefs Daniel ‘Chuck' Guidry and Wayne Simoneaux along with their ‘assistants'. They were preparing a little Cajun treat for everyone.

As the music wound down, Dan and Wayne brought out some Cajun fixings and described what they were preparing in the kitchen.  Wayne discussed the traditional Cajun roux - showing us the four stages of the roux and when each should be used. Chuck described the Cajun trinity (tomatoes, celery and bell pepper) - the basis for almost any Cajun meal. 

Appearing in the traditional dress of an old Lunenburger, David Corkum, Acadian historian of Lunenburg, entertained us with an informative historical storytelling. Accompanied by the beautiful voice of Brittany Corkum in song and a wonderful slide presentation, David described the geology of the area and how it influenced the settlement and history of Merligueche and later Lunenburg. David's extensive research into the history of the area was evident throughout the presentation that kept everyone's attention.

As the sun began to set, everyone prepared for the closing ceremony. Descendants of each child of Claude Guedry and Marguerite Petitpas gathered around the banner of their ancestor and slowly walked to the Old French Cemetery, forming a semi-circle around the old cross in the cemetery.

Marty Guidry discussed the plight of the Acadians as they were deported and struggled to survive - not only individually, but also as a nation. The cross, as the one that stood before us, was instrumental in their survival as it represented so much to them - their religion, their strength, and many of their values. Pierrette Guidry of Colorado then led us in a moving French recitation of the Rosary.

After the ceremony all walked slowly back to the Fire Hall - not wanting the day to end nor the departure of new friends and cousins. As we entered the Hall, Chuck Guidry and Wayne Simoneaux gave everyone some Cajun cooking at its best - a real treat for all and a great ending to a fun filled day and wonderful reunion.