NEW LISKEARD - Crowds of tourists braved the rainy weather and grey skies for a taste of winter at Village Noël Temiskaming’s scenic 17th century New France town.
The joyous three-day event from Nov. 21 to 23 recently marked its 10-year anniversary.
The New Liskeard Fairgrounds transformed into a picturesque Christmas village, complete with costumed volunteers and performers, warming fire pits, and quaint vendor cabins.
The village rang in the season’s holiday cheer by welcoming nearly 10,000 tourists from the Temiskaming region, Québec, and southern Ontario.
Village Noël brings a healthy infusion of tourism dollars into the City of Temiskaming Shores, of which New Liskeard is a part.
“Tourists come here, they eat at restaurants, stay at hotels, and buy gas in New Liskeard," said Réjeanne Bélisle-Massie, chair of the organizing committee.
The unique event is annually produced by ARTEM, the Temiskaming non-profit francophone arts and culture organization, which seeks to provide locals and tourists with an immersive experience of the region’s historical francophone culture.
Tourists were treated to musical performances by bands like Les Bilinguish Boys, traditional folk dances performed by La Troupe de Danse en Folie, and an expanded section of 17th century games for 1,400 schoolchildren, bussed into the village.
Guests also had the opportunity to try traditional New France activities like log-cutting, and to learn about Indigenous and Métis heritage from Temiskaming First Nation and the Temiskaming Métis Council.
“Even though the weather isn’t always the best, people still have fun,” said volunteer coordinator Elaine Pinard, who enlists and organizes the 200 volunteers it takes to run the village.
Village Noël also acts as a hub for Temiskaming vendors and serves as the kickoff for many locals’ holiday shopping. The 10-year anniversary featured an expanded range of sellers, with two additional vendor cabins.
“We try to bring something new every year,” said Bélisle-Massie.
The market offers vendors the chance to boost sales while also serving as an opportunity for networking and community-building, promoting, demonstrating, and educating curious tourists.
This year’s culinary offerings featured Canadian staples like BeaverTails, donuts, and flavoured popcorn, while also featuring soups and breads made from locally grown crops and foraged plants.
Felicitas von Moeller, of Garden Lake Greens, said the draw of selling at Village Noël wasn’t just about the sales opportunity, but about advertising their microgreen farm and educating the public of the benefits of their locally grown products.
“We liked the atmosphere,” said von Moeller, “and the ability to offer healthier options.”
Beside offering microgreens at her booth, von Moeller was also selling nutritious and delicious home-grown and homemade shiitake mushroom and lentil soups.
“I sell even if it’s raining,” said Élyse Ouellet, who owns the candy-making business Confiserie des Collines from Abitibi-Témiscamingue in northwestern Québec.
Ouellet has been coming to the market since it started 10 years ago. “The atmosphere is very good and the cabins are cool,” she said.
The market also displayed creations from local artisans like Wayne and Connie Brown from Pura Vida Crafts, a chainsaw-carving art business from nearby Elk Lake.
Wayne said the way Village Noël promotes its sellers is fantastic. “They go the extra distance to draw people in.”
He’s back for his third year after noticing how his chainsaw-carving demonstrations at Village Noël often leads to sales farther down the road.
“We’re not here so much for sales as to promote ourselves,” he said. “We’re always looking for extra business. You need to find the right venue and the right people.”
Brittany Meriah, owner of The Silver Moccasin handcrafted clothing from Cobalt, loves the market's quaint atmosphere and the chance to cultivate repeat customers.
“It opens up opportunities to connect with community.”
It was Meriah’s first year debuting the clothing shop she recently purchased. Previously, she attended Village Noël as the owner of Brittany’s Beaded Dreams, a traditional Indigenous beading business that allowed her to showcase the art of her Alderville First Nation family roots.
Bélisle-Massie said the idea for the Village had a twofold origin, the first being inspiration drawn from the traditional francophone winter market Marché de Noël Baie-Saint-Paul in Charlevoix, Qué.
“I thought, ‘We could do something like that here,'” said Bélisle-Massie.
She took her idea to well-known local entrepreneur Nicole Guertin, who served as a pillar of the Temiskaming tourism industry before she passed away in 2021.
The second impetus for the market was the opportunity to showcase local entrepreneurs.
With Guertin’s help, Bélisle-Massie applied for funding from the City of Temiskaming Shores and the Temiskaming Shores and Area Chamber of Commerce by highlighting how Village Noël could serve to revitalize the downtown core.
In 2014, the first Village Noël featured a transformation of the downtown. Plans were made for a larger market in 2015, which marked the 400th anniversary of francophones in Ontario. That year, the market was awarded Best New Festival (with revenues of $100,000 to $500,000) by the Festival and Events Ontario Achievement Awards.
Bélisle-Massie said the logistics of holding the Village on a busy downtown street proved to be too difficult. “That’s why we moved to the New Liskeard Fairgrounds (in 2022).”
Since then, Village Noël has been awarded grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Trillium Foundation, and Canadian Heritage. FedNor’s Northern Ontario Economic Development Initiative (EDI) also awarded the ARTEM Culturel Centre with a large grant to support the creation of kiosks, signage, and marketing activities.
Bélisle-Massie said Village Noël is a true community initiative, and the event has many local sponsors and volunteers to thank for its success. “The straw is donated, the propane, the vehicles, the light towers are loaned.”
For the future, Bélisle-Massie hopes to encourage new generations of volunteers to get involved in the planning and running of the market. She hopes it will continue the tradition of promoting local businesses and showcasing the area’s unique identity and culture.
