Acadian Chamber to help Carrefour celebrate its “Festival de la rentrée”

During festive evening with Meaghan Blanchard and Joey Kitson

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – Feb. 1, 2013 – The Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI (CCAFLIPE) will join in with the Carrefour de l’Isle-Saint-Jean in Charlottetown Friday, Feb. 22, to help the center celebrate its 2013 “Festival de la rentrée” during a mixer-type evening of networking and entertainment from 5-8 p.m.

“We are inviting all of our members as well as the public in general to participate in this relaxing evening, which will take place in the Nouveau Bayou lounge,” says Jeannette Arsenault, spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce. “We will all have an opportunity to network in a social and relaxed atmosphere, all while hearing the superb folk music of Meaghan Blanchard and Joey Kitson, two renowned performers from PEI.”

She mentions that during the evening, Carrefour management will lead a guided tour of the centre’s facilities, which are currently undergoing major renovations. The new space will allow a greater number of organizations to set up shop in the building, which is essentially the heart and soul of Charlottetown’s francophone community.

During the evening, representatives of the Acadian Chamber and the Carrefour will both give a few remarks. Then, RDÉE Prince Edward Island, the Chamber’s parent organization, will make an important announcement.

The CCAFLIPE, the RDÉE and their partners will have an information booth to distribute information to those in attendance. Admission is free. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.

« We are delighted to collaborate with the RDÉE and the Chamber in welcoming the business community to our expanded and expanding facilities,” says Carrefour president Emile Gallant. “This bilingual evening underlines the interdependence of the two official language communities, in music and the arts as in business and commerce. The RDÉE and the Chamber have done hugely important work with both the Francophone and Anglophone business communities, and both have benefitted enormously. We are proud of the growth of the Carrefour and its role as a resource in the development of the Greater Charlottetown area. »

PERFORMERS

Gallant adds that both featured performers at the event have strong ties to the Francophone and Acadian community.

Many Islanders will remember that Joey Kitson was the lead singer for both the blues group Rock Island Blues Band and the Celtic rock band Rawlin’s Cross. He has often performed with numerous other artists and groups as well as in musical theatre productions at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. More recently, Kitson has launched a solo career, which kicked off with the recording of an album called “Stan”, a tribute to the legendary Stan Rogers. Throughout the years, as he toured from one end of the world to the other, Joey accumulated a host of awards and trophies for his efforts.

Meaghan Blanchard will soon launch her third album, which she recently recorded in Georgia, USA. Her fans are looking forward to hearing it since her first album, Changing Things, won four Music PEI Awards in 2009 and her second disc, Chasin’ Lonely Again, earned her an East Coast Music Award in 2011. Born in Hunter River, Meaghan has even had the honor playing her music for Prince William and his wife Kate during their royal visit in 2011. The previous year, she played at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC.

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For more information:

Raymond J. Arsenault
Coordinator
Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI
(902) 854-3665
raymond@rdeeipe.org