When examining cultural halls across Timmins as we did last week in our look at local history, we can’t forget LaRonde.
The Francophone community is working on building a new hall, after the former Holy Family School had to be demolished due to fire damage a few years back.
Museum director-curator Karen Bachmann says LaRonde doesn’t have the same roots as the halls built in the early mining days, by European immigrants.
“But very much an important cultural centre,” she’s quick to add, “again with the same goals of preserving the rich culture of the French community in Timmins. That’s one that will be a new one that we can add to our list.”
Before it bought Holy Family, Bachmann notes, the French Catholic churches and schools are where French-Canadian culture was celebrated.
“The cultural centre that they did have really preserved the arts and gave opportunities for people to work in theatre, the visual arts, some of the music and preserving those dances and those songs and that French culture.”