Legal celebrates 20 years of murals

Above: Letourneau brothers singing a song, Robert, Gerald, Dennis and Marcel with Daniel Gervais on fiddle.

by Lucie Roy

Celebrations du Voyaguer – the 20th Anniversary of the Murals was held Sunday in Legal before a packed hall at the Centralta Community Center.

The 20th Anniversary of Legal’s murals featured a bus tour with two members of the Centralta Tourism Society, Ernest Chauvet as tour guide and interpreter along with Colette Bachand of Morinville.

In the hall performances by Daniel Gervais, 2016 & 2011 Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion and his brother Matthew, and the Prefontaine and Letourneau families provided much entertainment and laughs for the audience.

Recognition and tribute to Legal’s pioneers involved in the mural project and for their lifetime of community service which transcends generations and is prominent to this day was recognized for the families of June Charrois, Leo Charrois, Dorothy deChamplain, Fernande Letourneau, Lucienne Montpetit, and Roland Tieulie.

Leo Charrois and Roland Tieulie were unable to attend to receive their plaques.

Speakers included Centralta Tourism Society President Jules Jasmin, Ernest Chauvet, Association canadienne-francasie de l’Alberta (ACFA) Provincial President Marc Arnal, ACFA Centralta Region Director Cathy Pellerin and Legal Mayor Carol Tremblay.

Tremblay said, “On behalf of the Town I would like to thank ACFA and Centralta Tourism for their dedication to the community and for not only making Legal the Mural Capital of Canada per Capita but for taking such pride in our community and giving Legal an attractive, peaceful and inviting glow.”

Tremblay went on to say, “The murals have certainly evolved with time, from guided tours bringing in buses of people to view the art to literature books written for school and personal education to now the ability to take a self-guided tour with the Balado Discovery App to guided tours at the annual festival. I truly hope to see this continue for many years to come.”

Tremblay said she just returned from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) conference and consistently heard the phrase, “Quality of Life Makes Your Community,” and the phrase was defined by 12 headings and this event checked off six of those 12; Visual Quality, Tourism, Arts & Culture, History, Vibrant Downtown and Sense of Place. “I feel these 6 items define today’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the murals.”

Margo LaBerge, Madeleine St. Jean, Pat Letourneau and Andre Letourneau all descendants of Leon and Marguerite Prefontaine, story about how they would be singing a song while milking the cow.

Centralta Tourism Society President Jules Jasmin and Ernest Chauvet on stage.

June Charrois being presented her plaque by Colette Bachand

Centralta Tourism Society Colette Bachand of Morinville, President Jules Jasmin, recipients Lucienne Montpetit, June Charrois,Dorothy deChamplain and Fernande Letourneau. Absent: Leo Charrois and Roland Tieulie.

Daniel Gervais and brother Matthew

Legal Mayor Carol Tremblay

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