Authors Francois Marion and Marcel Clement launch their book Marionville- mon village raconté. Morin Photo
MARIONVILLE – When the Marionville Citizens committee launch a book, they throw a party at the same time complete with food, music and fun.
The book launched by the committee is a history of Marionville and is called Marionville- mon village raconté.
The two authors Francois Marion and Marcel Clement unveiled their book to a full house at the Marionville Community Centre. The launch was Sun., Dec. 11, and gave the close to 200 people who attended an afternoon to reminisce with their neighbours.
The book sold out almost before the celebration of its launch had started.
Marion who is also the president of the Marionville Citizens Committee and chair of the organizing committee for the launch said, “We had ordered 150 and they sold out like small hot buns right out of the oven. Now we are collecting names for the second edition. And we are close to 200 names right now.”
Marion is hoping to get the next batch of books delivered to residents by mid-January.
“It was overwhelming in terms of the response given by residents and the past residents.”
People came from all over. There were people from Ottawa, Montreal, Mirabel, Osgoode, Russell, Cornwall, Orleans, Laval and Embrun, Winchester and Van Kleek Hill; just to name a few places where former resident and families have spread out from Marionville over the years.
The book is at the moment in French, but Marion expects that it will be at some time translated to English.
The book is made up of the collected memories of events and people from Marionville’s colourful past. It moves from the early days of the village and area in the 1900s.
One of the highlights of the event for Marion and Clement was how people enjoyed themselves.
“When people were leaving, they would tell me that this was the best reunion they have had in years,” said Marion.
The music was provided by Spencer Scharf and Alain Brisson and another local musician joined in.
“They joined up and did a super musical program.”
Later in the afternoon, everyone joined musicians to sing Christmas carols.
Marion explained that he was also asking the audience if they wanted to donate funds to help people who needed it during the Christmas season, and $300 was collected. The committee will be donating a total of $1,500 they have collected during the book launch and from their traditional fundraising sources. They presented the funds to the Good Neighbours Food Bank in Embrun.
Since all the books have been sold out, the committee decided that they would take a picture of the cover of the book and people could buy the book for someone, for Christmas and present the picture in an envelope Christmas day, with the idea that the actual book was on its way to them.
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
