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The work of volunteers at the event, by Sylvain H. Boileau

A photograph, edited to look like a comic strip, of Sylvain H. Boileau leaning on a low wall to look at a brochure. On the lower left corner are the words: “Volunteer involvement during the Fêtes”.

Image: Photographer unknown (graphic design by Audrey Fauteux-Robillard), 1977.
City of Saint-Eustache. Archives. Fonds Boileau.

Audio excerpt: Interview with Sylvain H. Boileau, photographer for local newspapers in the Saint-Eustache region, by Sandrine Contant-Joannin, ethnologist, 2023.
Excerpt length: 37 seconds. Patrimoine culturel Vieux-Saint-Eustache collection.

Sylvain H. Boileau was a photographer for local newspapers in the region of Saint-Eustache in the 1970s and 1980s. He covered the Fêtes du Vieux Saint-Eustache a number of times. Here, he talks about various groups involved in the event as volunteers. The excerpt is transcribed below :

Sylvain H. Boileau (SHB): Yeah, there were a lot of volunteers. Absolutely, there were volunteers. The Cercle des Fermières [women’s guild, groups like that, you know. There were a lot of volunteers…

Sandrine Contant-Joannin (SCJ): The Knights of Columbus… All, all those groups…

SHB: Yeah. They did their thing. The Fêtes du Vieux organization went to see the Knights of Columbus and they said, “Do you want to make the… the poutine, you know… what do you call it?”

SCJ: Gargotte.

SHB: The gargotte. You do your stuff, you know. We’ll advertise for you, we’ll… But the volunteers, you had to find them yourself and… It was your own gang who did that… your circle, you understand? That was how it worked.