You can read all about that building over here. Some had clubhouses, including Le Montagnard which owned a large building downtown that had the Ritz movie theatre downstairs and the club house upstairs. Uniforms typically consisted of a tuque (hat) with a tassel, jacket with epaulettes (shoulder piece) and insignia, pants, sash around the waist, and long socks with tassels. Le Montagnard’s were gray and scarlet while Le Diables Rouges were red and white. Couldn’t find a good color photo of a Lewiston club uniformĮach club had distinctive colors for their uniforms and patches and many weren’t subtle. For the most part, they did not take the snowshoe portion too seriously. Other towns with large French populations like Brunswick and Biddeford also had popular clubs and the clubs would travel between the towns for competitions and parties. Lewiston clubs included Le Montagnard (The Mountain), Le Cercle Canadien (Canadian Circle), Le Amies Choisies (Chosen Friends), Le Passe-Temps (Pasttimes), La Gaieté (Cheerful), Le Jacques Cartier, Le Diables Rouges (Red Devils), La Feuille d’Erable (Maple Leafs), Le Hiboux Blancs (White Owls), Les Hirondelles (Swallows), Le Renard (Fox), Le Travaillant (Workers), L’Oiseau de Neige (Snowbirds), Le Cavalier (Riders), L’Acme, La Dames Montagnard, and Les Indiens Sur Raquettes (Indians on Snowshoes). There were male-only, female-only and mixed clubs. Not only were the clubs a fixture in the Lewiston community, but they spread throughout French Canadian towns in New England and became a powerful political voice. They held events, wore unique uniforms, had their own marching bands, and hosted international competitions that brought thousands to Lewiston every few years. Snowshoe Club? 1928, members of Le Montagnard Snowshoe Clubīy the 1950s, Lewiston had 17 snowshoe clubs and the original club, Le Montagnard, boasted 1,000 members. They evolved into year-round social clubs that shaped Lewiston’s political landscape. They began as an ethnic Quebec import and quickly became a fixture in Lewiston. They were kind of a combination of both types. Others were private clubs created primarily to get around the strict liquor laws that only allowed hard liquor to be sold in hotels, Class A restaurants, or private clubs.Īnd then there were snowshoe clubs. Some were fraternal clubs or business clubs like Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis and Elks that were founded for philanthropic reasons. The city of Lewiston never had a shortage of clubs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |