La Bastille day

So far away from France but so close! Every year, on La Bastille day, the small village of Cape Vincent celebrate the alliance between the American and the French because Cape Vincent almost got to be the nouvelle patrie of Napoleon..before he choose to escape to Elba, instead. Well, tant pis for Napoleon ... and too bad for us, North Americans - we could have our French baguettes every morning instead of soft (gummi) bread. Anyhow, here in Cape Vincent, they decided that the French presence of the late 18th century (up to middle of the 19th century) was worth a celebration. It is now called the Festival francais and draws crowds of near 10,000 people every year.  Bands of all kinds, from Big Band style to Scottish Bagpipes march through the beautiful trees lined streets of the village.