Record attendance at the Rimouski gathering
We had an over-optimistic goal of attracting 100 participants at the regional gathering in Rimouski on September 1, 2012. Not only did we reach this objective but surpassed it.
All conditions were ideal to make this gathering a success: great temperature, enthusiastic participants from eastern Canada and the United States, a festive atmosphere due to the Festi-Jazz concerts being held at the same time, a suitable room and tremendous logistic and computer support from Regis Levasseur of Mont-Joli.
The volunteers and board members met early Saturday morning in order to prepare and welcome the Levasseurs members and their families to the gathering that began shortly after noon.
At 1:30 after welcoming remarks by Raymond Levasseur, our president Roger Levasseur expressed his welcome on a pre-recorded video shown on a large screen. This welcoming message can be seen on : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ubE84ESGc.
Gilles Carmel, our vice president presented an overview of the Association that was created more than 20 years ago by our now deceased friend Vincent Levasseur.
Our host, Raymond Levasseur, informed us about the Levasseurs who settled in various localities in Eastern Quebec frequently adding interesting anecdotes about the life of these pioneers and their family members. It is possible that this conference on «The Levasseurs who settled in Eastern Québec» may be published in a future issue of the Newsletter.
Prior to the visit of the Genealogy Society and Archives of Rimouski a group photo was taken of all the participants. The photo taken outdoors on a beautiful sunny day can be seen in this publication.
Upon their return the participants heard two presentations. One was on the genealogical dictionaries of Pierre and Laurent Levasseur. Participants were shown and given an explanation on how to use the dictionaries. Huguette provided explanations enabling the reader to quickly find the relationship between the parties listed in these dictionaries. The second presentation was about the impact of new technologies in the field of communication enabling the sharing of information between family associations like ours and their members.
In addition to these activities, there were discussions about the collection and the consulting of genealogical data by our genealogist Joceline Levasseur. Also, discussions were made on the cataloguing of ancient photos and official documents and the presentation of various promotional products.
An excellent dinner was served and many door prizes were offered prior to participants saying: «good by and until the next time we meet».
We say thank you and express our and gratitude to the many volunteers who, due to their hard work and generosity, made this gathering possible and a great success. Again, Thank you.
If you receive an on-line version of this Newsletter you will find many links that will bring you to complimentary data and information such as photos and videos. By the time you receive this information, the Association’s Blog will have been updated with additional photos and videos.