Join us on Zoom for the next Hobbs Library Speaker Series presentation as we hear from Lise Pelletier about our Acadian connections and heritage, an often-overlooked part of our Maine history.

We are surrounded by reminders of our French-speaking past: think of LaVerdiere's Drug Stores, ubiquitous until the 1980's, or Aubuchon Hardware. French last names are common here in Maine, and indeed some think that our state is itself named after a province of France. Acadians (French descendants who settled in the Canadian Maritimes and northern Maine) are survivors of an 18th century ethnic cleansing in Nova Scotia, Canada. Their history is a study in reliance and hope, and their ancestors live in Maine to this day.

 Lise Pelletier is the former director of the Acadian Archives acadiennes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. She was born in Fort Kent and raised in Clair, New Brunswick. She has always had both feet firmly planted on both shores of the St. John River in Canada and in the U.S. Franco American Hall of Fame 2021.

The Hobbs Library Speaker Series is sponsored in part by a generous contribution from Norway Savings Bank.