Bastille Day Picnic Gathers Area Francophiles

By Dottie Evans

Close your eyes and listen.

The kids are laughing and splashing in the pool, the dogs, frustrated at being confined to an upper deck, are barking, and the guests are conversing in French, while the noble strains of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, can be heard in the background.

This could be an intimate family party held at someone’s country house outside Paris.

Instead, the locale was Sandy Hook, and the occasion was a Bastille Day Picnic, held Monday, July 14, hosted by Micheline and Brandon Baker.

Mrs Baker is an insurance broker who works in Norwalk, and Mr Baker is an aerial photographer who flies an ultralight powered parachute when capturing scenic views.

 All 30 guests who came to the Bakers’ Clearview Drive home Monday evening were members of a Danbury-to-Waterbury regional French club known as the Alliance Francaise.

Not only were the guests eager to reaffirm their love for all things French, they wanted to chat about recent visits to France, the books they had read, and the movies they had seen. They were also hopeful that recent diplomatic difficulties experienced between France and the United States over Iraq would not be blown out of perspective.

A difference in opinion was not a reason to break off relations and boycott products, they said, especially not when two countries have shared as much as these two have.

“Mostly, we’re hoping to get the word out that The Alliance Francaise of Northwestern Connecticut exists, and that prospective new members will inquire about joining us,” said Marcy Jackson, Alliance president and Woodbury resident.

Ms Jackson was a longtime teacher of French and is active in the Alliance Francaise, she said, because, “I meet so many wonderful people that way.”

“The organization started out in Waterbury in 1921, but over the years the group has grown in regional scope. We now have more than 100 members,” Ms Jackson said.

The Alliance Francaise

Drawing its membership from many towns, the group holds six annual lectures, two Saturday morning Café Conversation reading and discussion groups, and it views one French movie per month at the Cyrenius Booth Library.

Members also gather at Starbucks in Newtown to play Scrabble or French board games, they travel to sites of historic French interest, attend operas or concerts, dine in French restaurants, and read and discuss French literature and poetry in members’ summer gardens.

The Alliance Francaise in the United States is affiliated with the century-old worldwide network established at the Alliance Francaise de Paris in 1883, and the first Alliance Francaise chapter in the United States was established in 1888.

Members of the Alliance Francaise of Northwestern Connecticut are welcome guests at other Alliance chapters in Connecticut and in the United States, where 138 chapters in 45 states serve more than 30,000 members.

Anyone is welcome who is interested in studying the French language and culture, and is willing to meet others and practice language skills in a variety of settings.

For more information about the Alliance Francaise of Northwestern Connecticut, Inc, phone 203-263-4096, or email afnwct@snet.net. On the internet, go to www.afusa.org and click on Connecticut.