Hello everyone!

Yesterday, I was interviewed by am800 CKLW Radio in Windsor. Throughout the day they have been playing sections of my interview, as well as announcing the fact that I placed in the top 10 at Miss Teen Canada World.

If you live in the area I would strongly recommend tuning your radio to am 800!

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Bonjour tout le monde!

Si vous voulez ecouter une intrevue que j'ai eu la chance de passer, et si vous habitez dans la region, ecoutez am800 CKLW aujourd'hui.

Hello everyone! As you all most likely already know I just competed in the Miss Teen Canada World Pageant last week. I came home last night, and I simply wanted to tell you all about the wonderful experience I had.

The pageant was held in Toronto Ontario, in which the preliminaries took place at the Delta Chelsea (in downtown Toronto), the talent portion took place at a dance school in Toronto, and the final show took place at the Toronto Convention Centre. Preliminaries took place on Thursday July 15th, the talent portion took place on Friday July 16th, and the final show took place on Saturday July 17th. I placed in the top 10 in the final show, which allowed me to participate in the swimsuit (top 20), as well as the evening gown (top 10) portion of the show.

I signed in with the Miss Teen Canada World Pageant in Toronto on July 11th, and began a fun-filled week with 61 other contestants. We made several “celebrity” appearances such as one with ET Canada aboard the Mariposa, and I was personally selected (being a bilingual representative) to be interviewed by CBC Radio-Canada in French.

The experiences I had during this week are ones that I will never forget. I would personally say that I grew a lot as a person, and learned quite a bit from every single one of the girls I competed with. It was nice to meet so many other girls with similar aspirations, as well as girls who simply wanted to make a difference and leave their mark on our world. Being strong-willed and intelligent are characteristics that I admire most in others, and I believe that every one of the delegates possessed these characteristics.

I would say that the thing that I learned the most through living this experience would be to cherish the experience rather than simply the end result. Although I did not win the title of Miss Teen Canada World, I learned to cherish every single moment of the pageant experience, which today makes me feel like a winner in my own way.

To conclude, I would simply like to thank everyone who has supported me on my journey thus far. I will continue representing South Western Ontario for the remainder of my year as a titleholder, and as always will be making appearances throughout the region as often as I can.

I would like to give a special thanks to my parents who have given me all that I need to succeed, both sides of my family, my brother Garrick, my best friend Elenna and my boyfriend Spencer.

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."

-Rosalynn Carter

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Bonjour tout le monde! Comme vous savez probablement déjà, je viens de participer au concours de Miss Teen Canada World la semaine dernière à Toronto.

Je suis arrivée à Toronto le 11 juillet, et j’ai passé une semaine avec 61 autre filles de toute autour du Canada. Les préliminaires se sont passés le 15 juillet au Delta Chelsea, le spectacle du talent le 16 juillet a une école de dance à Toronto, et le spectacle finale le 17 juillet au Toronto Convention Centre. Je me suis placée dans le dernières 10 de la compétition finale.

Même si je n’ai pas gagné le titre de Miss Teen Canada World, j’ai appris beaucoup de cette expérience ce qui me fait ressentir comme une gagnante quand-même.

J’aimerais conclure en remerciant mes parents, ma famille, mon frère Garrick, ma meilleure amie Elenna, et mon compagnon Spencer.

I would like to thank my generous sponsors for their support with my Free the Children fundraising.

I would personally like to thank City Sheet Metal LTD., as well as René Therrien and Johanne Dusssault as well as Melysa Rivard from Remax, for their generous donations.

Thank you.

J’aimerais remercier mes commanditaires pour leur généreux support lors de mes levées de fonds pour “Free the children”

Je remercie sincerement City Sheet Metal LTD. ainsi que René Terrien, Johanne Dussault et Melysa Rivard coutiers immobiliers Remax.

Merci.

Changing the way we think about the world; an Adjoined effort - Free the Children and Oprah's Angel Network

As they both originate, Oprah’s Angel Network as well as the Free the Children organization have similarly derived themselves from a mission statement preaching global awareness and change as a result of local action.

Founded in 1997, Oprah’s Angel Network has invited viewers to begin using their lives to improve the lives of others¹, and founded in 1995, Free the Children has oriented themselves around the principles of freeing young people from the notion that they are powerless to affect positive change in the world².

As it stands today, Free the Children has built more than 500 schools, and as of 2008, the building of over 58 of these schools around the world was made possible with the aid of Oprah’s Angel Network.

Officially launching itself in September 2007, Oprah’s Angel Network established a movement entitled O Ambassadors in which more than 1 000 schools from coast to coast in the United-States and Canada stepped up to a challenge, establishing O Ambassadors Clubs in their schools and community³. This movement served as an adjoining effort with the Free the Children organization to support development initiatives around the world. The movement was created in order to merge two organizations with similar initiatives wanting to provoke change on a greater scale.

The O Ambassador’s project was primarily introduced on May 26, in which the adjoined initiative was outlined during The Oprah Winfrey Show. This episode of The Oprah Winfrey show featured Craig Kilburger as a guest speaker who invited those viewing the show to participate in the movement.

The new program aimed to motivate and educate 1 million youth to get involved and create positive change, and drew its inspiration from Free the Children’s Example⁴. Free the Children first caught Winfrey’s attention in 1999 when Craig was a guest on her show, and has since then continued to serve as the inspiration behind this newly adjoined relationship working harmoniously with United-Nations Millennium Developmental Goals.

The 2009-2010 year marks a new stage within the relationship between both organizations. As a result of the generous seed funding provided by Oprah’s Angel Network since 2006, and Free the Children’s successful implementation, the O Ambassador’s Program will now fully transition to Free the Children⁵. Free the Children will now assume the sole responsibility for its operations, although the program will continue under the umbrella of the Free the Children organization.

Oprah’s Angel Network as well as its O Ambassador program, has brought extensive developments to Free the Children’s long-established Youth in Action program. As stated by Craig Kilberger on the behalf of Free the Children during the establishment of the adjoined effort between both organizations;

“We are honoured and excited to work with Oprah’s Angel Network on this innovative program that motivates youth to get involved, inspires confidence that they can make a difference and encourages leadership opportunities within their school and communities. The O Ambassadors program supports the capacity of youth to change our world.”⁶

Sources:

1. http://oprahsangelnetwork.org/about-us/overview

2. http://www.freethechildren.com/aboutus/mission/

3. http://www.freethechildren.com/mediaroom/source/news/2008/O_Ambassadors_...

4. http://stupidcelebrities.net/2008/05/26/o-ambassadors-on-the-oprah-winfr...

5. http://www.freethechildren.com/oambassadors/

6. http://www.freethechildren.com/mediaroom/source/news/2008/O_Ambassadors_...

Other:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-179229018.html

http://www.freethechildren.com/aboutus/partners.php

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Des les tous débuts, Oprah’s Angel Network et l’organisation Free the Children, partagent un même but; éveiller la conscience mondiale et apporter des changements en posant des gestes locaux.

Oprah’s Angel Network a été fonde en 1997 tandis que Free The children a fait ses débuts en 1995. En 2007, Oprah’s Network a établi un mouvement appelé O Ambassadeur’s Project. Ce mouvement tout comme Free the children a pour but de motiver et éduquer les jeunes à s’impliquer et à créer des changements de façons positives.

C’est en 1999, que Free the Children a capté l’attention d’Oprah Windfrey alors que Craig Kilburger était invité.

Les années 2009-2010 ont marqué une nouvelle étape entre les deux organisations. O’Ambassadeur’s va maintenant complètement se fusionner a Free the Children.

Hello everyone! As you may or may not have noticed in my events (previous/upcoming), over the past several months I have been working very hard with my platform, which you may or may not know is Autism.

As listed, I have organized 3 “Social Swims”, I am a member of the Fundraising Committee for Autism Services Windsor, and I am the coordinator for basketball as well as cooking for Autism Ontario. In this blog post, I simply wanted to explain to you all exactly what it is that I was held responsible in doing with regards to these activities and events.

In terms of the Fundraising Committee for Autism Services Windsor, I have been a member of this committee ever since the month of January (although I have been volunteering with Autism Services Windsor ever since September of 2009).

The fundraising committee is held responsible for organizing events that will help fund the activities in which the service offers. My role within the committee is to contribute my ideas, look for sponsors, help organize the events, serve as a representative at the events, as well as create a group of a volunteers (I am specifically responsible in finding teenage volunteers) that will help with the events. One of the major fundraising events that Autism Services Windsor puts on every year is the annual Pasta Dinner which you may read about in one of my previous blog posts entitled “ASI Pasta Dinner”. I personally dedicated over 15 hours toward organizing and helping out with the event, and was put in charge of gathering a group of teenage volunteers to help out with the kids who attended, as well as with the set-up of the event.

In terms of my volunteer work with Autism Ontario, I was recently put in charge of being the coordinator for basketball as well as cooking. These are weekly activities that are put into place by Autism Ontario, and are intended for children with special needs. Basketball is a weekly event which takes place every Saturday at the Gino. A Marcus Community Centre in Windsor Ontario and cooking is a weekly event which takes place every Friday evening at the Real Canadian Superstore on Walker Rd. in Windsor. As a coordinator my responsibility with regards to these activities was to seek out approximately 4 to 5 teenage volunteers that would help the children interact with each other, as well as cook and play basketball with those who were present. I was also held responsible for taking attendance and interacting myself with the children that were present.

In terms of the 3 free “Social Swims” I organized with regards to my platform, these served as a newly introduced activity to my community in which all members of Family Respite, Autism Services , Community Living, as well as Autism Ontario were invited. Each free “Social Swim” was held at the Vollmer Recreation Complex and was held throughout the months of January to March, in which one swim took place each month.

I created these swims as an activity of interaction for people with mental as well as physical disabilities, in which those individuals with these disabilities could come together and enjoy themselves in an environment designed for them. After noticing a lack of activities for people (adults as well as children) with special needs, this activity served as my first step in making that fact of reality change.

The work that I have done so far with regards to my platform is something that I truly enjoy doing. I plan to continue volunteering with Autism Ontario as well as Autism Services Windsor, I plan on organizing future events for the people of the platform and I also plan on continuously encouraging the young people of today to become involved with this cause.

If you would like more information on Autism as a mental condition, you may follow the link below in order to acquire this information. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/whatisautism.php

I hope you all enjoyed this blog post! Don’t forget to comment, subscribe, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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Bonjour tout le monde!

Comme vous saviez peut-être déjà, depuis les derniers mois, j’ai fait partie d’une multitude d’activités reliées a ma Platforme; l’Autisme. J’ai organise trois baignades gratuites, me suis jointe à l’équipe de levée de fonds pour Autisme Services Windsor, et ai été coordinatrice pour le basketball et le club de cuisine pour Autisme Ontario Windsor Essex.

Participer à ces activités m’a permis d’engager les jeunes adolescents auprès des enfants avec besoins speciaux tout en créant une équipe de jeunes volontaires pour Autisme Ontario.

Si vous désirez obtenir plus de renseignements sur l’autisme ou vous porter volontaire

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/whatisautism.php

Diet, healthy eating, exercise regime, balanced lifestyles, green makeup. Are you tired of hearing phrases that continuously encourage a “healthy lifestyle” but do not exactly tell you how to pursue such a way of living?

Fear no more this agonizing semantical problem. As of September 1st 2010, the popular Canadian television enterprise CTV as well as the popular American television enterprise ABC will be launching a new television talk-show oriented series named Fashionably Healthy.

Specifically targeted for teenagers as well as young adults within their early 20’s, this TV series will be hosted by Cynthia Loewen (current beauty queen and health fanatic) as well as her newly created team of Canadian trainers, physicians, stylists, and make-up artists. The talk-show will air every Wednesday night at 7pm, and will host the members of this newly created team as well as various national specialists.

Fashionably Healthy will feature advice on how to lead a wholesome and balanced diet within a fast food influenced North American society, how to chose the proper hair care, skin care and makeup products that are both green and do not contain harsh chemicals, as well as how to create a specialized exercise regime to fit the lifestyles of various individuals.

The show will be gender and age friendly, and will feature advice for both males and females within every episode. Fashionably Healthy will encourage positive, fun, new and “fashionable” ways to make healthy decisions yet enjoy an up to date way of living. The show is intended to bring to the minds of the general youth population, alternatives to every decision concerning food, product (hair and skin for both males and females, as well as makeup for females) and exercise, and will suggest the inclusion of newer and “better for you” activities, foods and products.

Sponsored by Explosion Fitness, Jergens, Frank (Ideas and Execution), Smojoe and Green Beauty, Fashionably Healthy will be supported by an extensively prestigious group of sponsors contributing to the television series. Frank (Ideas and Execution) will help build an interactive website with continuously updated video clips of each episode as well as extra tutorials, and Smojoe will help launch a socially relevant blogging community for those seeking personal advice from the experts on the show as well as fellow Fashionably Healthy viewers, or would like to document their commitment to a new “Fashionably Healthy” lifestyle. Explosion Fitness will be used for filming exercise tutorials, and Jergens and Green Beauty will be the show’s resource for eco-friendly as well as skin and hair healthy products. In addition each sponsor will be featured on the website, mentioned within every episode, and continuously referenced to as their products or resources are being used.

Stay tuned for a show that can surely help change or even save a life! As the stats of health related heart conditions, obesity, eating disorders, depression and skin damage are rising, Fashionably Healthy can help change your life in a reciprocal manner.

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A partir du 1^er septembre, ABC et CTV commenceront à diffuser une nouvelle émission intitulée Mode Santé. Cynthia Loewen, votre animatrice, vous guidera, accompagnée d’une gamme de spécialistes, vers un style de vie tout à fait sante.

Cette émission orientée principalement pour les adolescents et les jeunes adultes offrira différents astuces pour vous aider à vous garder en sante tout en continuant votre style de vie actif en suivant les vagues de ce nouveau siècle. C’est à compter de mardi 1^er septembre a 19h00 que Cynthia débutera Mode Santé. Frank, Smojoe, Jergens, Green Beauty and Extreme Fitness feront également partie de cette émission si attendue.

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Canada Day on July 1st. Whether you spent it with friends, family or the people of your city or town, I hope you all had the chance to celebrate Canada Day by doing something Canadian! I know I sure did, which is why I am blogging to you about it today.

On July 1st (Canada’s Birthday), I had the chance to ride in the Canada Day parade in Windsor Ontario Canada. I had so much fun doing so, and would completely relive the experience again if I had the chance to.

The parade took place on Wyandotte Road in Windsor which was an alternate route from last year’s route which took place on Ouellette Road. The Canada Day parade, like many other parades in the city, was organized by The Windsor Parade Corporation. I would personally say that they did a wonderful job at organizing the parade as the entire process went very well for every float, marching band, cheerleader/dancer/majorette, and car in it.

The parade began at approximately 11am, although I arrived quite early. I didn’t have a problem with this since I had the chance to walk around and meet other participants which was very exciting. I had the chance to meet some children on the War Amps float, a few gymnasts, as well as Miss Canada Galaxy (Natalie Lapointe). Everyone I met was so sweet and seemed overjoyed to be celebrating Canada Day in this manner.

I truly enjoyed the Windsor Canada Day parade and I look forward to hopefully participating again next year. It was amazing to see the amount of people that came out, as well as the amount of people dressed in Canada gear!

To conclude, I’d just like to say that I’m so proud to be Canadian and believe we live in the most amazing country.

Thank you for reading my blog post! Don’t forget to comment, subscribe, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter. You can also leave me a comment letting me know how you spent Canada Day this year (I’d love to hear it and will definitely reply).

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Bonjour tout le monde! Durant le premier juillet j’ai eu la chance de participer à la Parade de la Fête du Canada à Windsor. La parade a été organisée par « The Windsor Parade Corporation » et s’est bien déroulée.

La parade s’est déroulée sur la rue Wyandotte cette année au lieu de la rue Ouellette comme les années précédentes. Le tout a débuté à 11h du matin, mais je me suis rendue sur les lieux un peu en avance. Cela ne m’a pas dérange puisque j’ai eu la chance de rencontrer beaucoup d’autres participants. J’ai rencontré quelques enfants de War Amps « float », quelques gymnastes, ainsi que Miss Canada Galaxie (Natalie Lapointe).

J’ai véritablement eu du plaisir en participant à cette parade et j’espère de la faire encore l’année prochaine.

Merci d’avoir lu mon blog. N’oubliez pas de suivre mon blog, commenter, et me suivre sur Facebook ainsi Twitter. Laissez-moi aussi un beau petit message de ce que vous avez fait durant la fête du Canada.

Have you ever driven a vehicle made by Ford, Chrysler or General Motors and wondered where on earth it was made? Have you ever heard of the term “underground railroad”, and wondered exactly where the African American slaves settled in Canada after escaping slavery in the south during the early 1800’s? Have you ever wondered where one of the primary Canadian south western British headquarters was located throughout the war of 1812, where the salt we put in our food comes from, or where the busiest border crossing in North America is situated?

If you’ve ever found yourself pondering upon any of these questions, or any other questions pertaining to the topics mentioned, the city and region serving as the answer to these questions is Windsor Ontario Canada as well as its nearby surrounding region; Essex County. I have lived in the area for approximately 10 years and consider myself very lucky to have had the chance to grow up here, since I believe that this area is a very unique place.  

Windsor Ontario Canada is located on the most southern tip of Canada, and is separated from the United-States (specifically Detroit Michigan) by the Detroit River which extends into Lake St. Clair. Windsor has a population of approximately 209000 citizens, and is an ideal tourist attraction due to its history, weather (warmest climate in Canada), and border with the United-States.

Windsor is home to the busiest border crossing in North America and is known as the “Motor City of Canada” because it is the primary location for the “Big 3” within Canada (General Motors , Ford, and Chrysler). Due to the fact that Detroit is also commonly known as the automotive capital of its country, Windsor and Detroit work in direct correlation with each other in terms of automobile production and trade (thus causing increased border crossing). Driving down the streets of Windsor and spotting several trucks carrying newly made vehicles is not a strange phenomenon within the city.

With reference to the salt in which millions of Ontario citizens use daily, the Windsor Salt Mine can be held responsible for this distribution. Formally distinguished as the “Ojibway Salt Mine”, the commonly referenced Windsor Salt Mine is located on the town line of LaSalle and Windsor. It employs over 250 people, has been in operation ever since 1955, and currently mines salt at a level of 290m beneath the city.

In terms of historical referencing, Windsor as well as its surrounding region is very well known with regards to historical significance and influence. History being one of my favorite subjects to study, I can proudly say that Windsor as well as its surrounding area has a vast amount of historical knowledge to offer to those who visit. Two renowned historical attractions within the region include; Fort Malden, as well as well as the North American Black History Museum (both located in Amherstburg - approximately 20 minutes from downtown Windsor). Both museums exhibit thought provoking exhibits with reference to Canadian and British significance within the war of 1812 (Fort Malden), as well as African American escapes from slavery within the United-States(Black History Museum).

Whether you are interested in history, culture, shopping or relaxation, I have learned by living within the region, that there is an enoyable activity or attraction for everyone. If you are one that enjoys shopping, I would recommend visiting Victoria Boutique in LaSalle, as they have a vast selection of clothing, shoes and accessories for women of all ages. If you may be someone who enjoys relaxation, I would recommend a spa treatment at The House of Beauty (also in LaSalle), and a hair styling by Paul (my stylist). If you are one that simply enjoys the outdoors, I would recommend taking a stroll along the Riverside Park in Windsor (my favorite place to take a walk in Windsor) where you can observe several art sculptures as well as the city of Detroit from accross the river.

Windsor is a truly great place to grow up in, and I believe it is a wonderful and exciting place to visit. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to share some of my favorite attractions that I believe make Windsor and the surrounding area such a unique place. I hope that this article will inspire you to put Windsor as well as its surrounding area in your travel plans this year. 

If you would like more information about Windsor concerning tourism, I would recommend visiting the following website in order to acquire this information: http://www.windsorontario.worldweb.com/

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Chers amis francophones, vous trouverez ci-haut, quelques explications sur l’histoire de ma région qui en effet est l’endroit le plus au Sud du Canada et ou on produit plusieurs véhicules Ford, Chrysler et General Motors. Ma région regorge aussi d’histoire. L’histoire étant ma matière préférée, je suis bien servie ici dans ma région.

Parmi mes endroits préférés à Windsor, je citerais le « Black History Museum », le Fort Malden et la promenade le long de la rivière Detroit. Il ne faudrait pas oublier la boutique Victoria et House of beauty ou Paul me coiffe toujours avec gout.

En fait, Windsor est pour moi un endroit que j’apprécie. Avec son histoire, ses industries, son climat et sa proximité des Etats-Unis, Windsor est unique et mérite d’être découvert.

Today I took my final exam of my grade 11 year. This year has gone by so fast, and I cannot believe that I only have one more year until the end of my high school career! Thus far, I am halfway done the formal two year International Baccalaureate ProgrammeI have been enrolled in ever since grade 9 (two years of "pre-IB" and two years of "formal IB").

Throughout the week all I have been doing is studying, and now that exams are over, I look forward to having the chance to finally post my official blog assignments(assignments assigned by the Miss Teen Canada World Organisation)! My first blog assignment will be posted tonight, and my second will be posted a few days after. Hopefully you are all looking forward to reading them!

Don't forget to comment, subscribe, and follow me on facebook and twitter!

My Desk During Exam Week

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Bonjour tout le monde!

 Je viens de finir mon dernier examen 11e annee, et je ne peux pas croire que j'ai seulement une année avant la fin de l'école secondaire! J'ai aussi deja fini une demie du programme internationale que je fréquente à l'ecole depuis 9e année!

Pendant toute la semaine j'étudiais, et maintenant que mes examens sont terminés, je suis tellement excitée de finalement avoir la chance de publier mes taches de blog. Mon premier sera publier ce soir, ainsi que mon deuxieme quelques jours plustard. J'espere que vous les aimeriez!

N'oubliez pas de commenter, souscrire, vous joindre à mon facebook groupe ou me suivre sur Twitter!

Hey everyone! I just quickly wanted to update you all on an exciting event I had the chance to attend last weekend in my home town.

This event is known as the LaSalle Strawberry Festival Parade. The LaSalle Strawberry Festival has been a local tradition in my town (the town of LaSalle) for 23 years, and is comprised of live entertainment, contests (ex. the strawberry eating contest), rides, and ofcourse, the official LaSalle Strawberry Festival Parade. The festival takes place at Gil Maure Park by the waterfront, and the parade takes place on Front Road in front of the park.

On Saturday June 5th at approximately 11am, I rode in the parade along the riverfront on Front Road and had a great time doing so! It was so nice to see the people of my town come together to celebrate the begining of a fun filled summer, as well as the season of strawberries.

I must say that being a part of this parade has been one of my favorite activities as a titleholder thus far. I truly enjoyed the fact that I had the chance to celebrate a local tradition with the people of my town. I was even quoted in the Windsor Star for expressing my excitement!...

"But free candy and even strawberries aren't what the event's about, said Cynthia Loewen, who rode in the parade as Miss Teen Southwestern Ontario. "I like that it's a community organized event." said Loewen. - A2 The Windsor Star Monday June 7,2010

In addition to this blog post, I'd like to thank Carlos for lending me his beautiful 442 Oldsmobile for the parade, as well as those who came out to cheer me on (especially my cheerleading teamates from North Star Cheer)!

I hope you all enjoyed this short blog post/update. I will be posting my first official blog assignment soon. I hope you all are looking forward to it!

Don't forget to comment, subscribe, and follow me on facebook and twitter!

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Bonjour tout le monde!

Samedi matin, je me suis jointe à la parade du festival de la fraise à Lasalle, le village ou j’habite. Ici à Lasalle ce festival est l’événement de l’année. Tous les gens de la communauté s’y retrouvent et festivent ensemble. On peut déguster les fraises locales écouter les talents et profiter des manèges entre amis. Pour moi l’expérience de la parade fut tellement amusante. J’ai eu le plaisir de parader avec M. Mario et mon père dans une Oldsmobile442 1970 décapotable. J’en profite pour le remercier M.Mario pour sa voiture et son temps.