La Kermesse Festival set for this weekend in Biddeford

For many people in Biddeford, it’s not summer without La Kermesse Franco Americaine, known by many as the La Kermesse festival, or simply La Kermesse.

The 42^nd La Kermesse festival is set for this weekend at St. Louis field 284 Hill St., Biddeford.  La Kermesse President Jessica Quattrone and Secretary/Marketing Coordinator Abigail Worthing have been working many hours to organize the festival, yet their enthusiasm and passion outshine any signs of exhaustion or stress.

Quattrone has been involved in the festival since 1986, when she was nine years old and her father, Joe LeBlond joined the board. When she was 12 she dressed up as Franquette, the festival’s mascot. She has been a board member for 22 years, with 16 of those years as president.

Worthing has been going to the festival her whole life, and has been on the board for 8 years.

Festivities this year start on Thursday, June 18, with the band The Dapper Gents and later North Atlantic Wrestling.

Friday is the parade, which starts at 6 p.m. at Biddeford Middle School. The parade heads north onto Hill Street toward West Street, where the parade will turn left and end at the Prospect Street Gate.

Friday night will also feature the bands Billy Billy and Plush. Saturday there will be a lineup of music and entertainment including Irish step dancing and music from Caribbean Vibes Steel Drum Band, and Squeezebox Stompers performing Cajun, zydeco and blues music.

“We have some new vendors we’re really excited about and some new great bands,” said Worthing.

Fireworks are scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Saturday at St. Louis Field.

Amusement rides will be available, and throughout the weekend there will be activities for children, including exotic animals with Wildlife Encounters and giant soap bubble making with Bubble Bonanza.

On Sunday, there is free admission with a Catholic mass, free crepe breakfast, and music with the Alumni Band.

For more information on the schedule of events, go to the La Kermesse website.

Worthing and Quattrone said organizers work hard to make sure the festival has a variety of entertainment with activities that appeal to all ages.

“Yes, we’re a multi-cultural event, but we do try to always keep the focus on community, and trying to make sure that if families come here, they’re going to have fun; if adults come here , they’re going to have fun; and if teenagers come here, they’re going to have fun,” said Quattrone.

“We’ve been showing consistent growth year after year. Every year we’re getting a little bit bigger, every year we’re seeing more people at the gate, and we’re seeing more vendors,” said Worthing.

This year’s La Kermesse button has an image from the Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry that showcases the city of Biddeford.

“We want people to see that this is a 43-year-old festival and we’re celebrating what we love about Biddeford,” said Worthing.

There will be plenty of food vendors, including the popular La Kermesse food truck, serving French Canadian specialties like poutine and pork pie.

“I dream all year about the open-faced hamburgers with gravy and white onion on it,” said Worthing.

“And not just any gravy, it’s Canadian gravy,” said Quattrone. One of the board members, she said, goes to Canada every year and stocks up on gravy for the festival.

Quattrone is now seeing another generation volunteering at La Kermesse. Her son wore the Franquette costume until he got too tall. This year he and a group of young teens have been helping out behind the scenes, and the granddaughter of another board member will wear the mascot costume.

Students from the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology came by to learn about setting up a festival and helped string some lights.

“I think it’s just fantastic that this venue gave them an opportunity to come and get some real hands-on learning,” said Quattrone.

The Biddeford City Council denied La Kermesse the $15,000 funding it asked for in the 2027 fiscal year budget. This will not have any effect on this year’s festival, but will impact next year’s festival budget, said Quattrone.

“All we can do is keep doing our best and put on the best festival we can,” said Quattrone.

She is encouraged by the festival’s popularity, and said the board is already brainstorming ways to fundraise for next year. There’s a lot of history in the festival, and being part of it is very rewarding, said Quattrone and Worthing. They’ll begin preparing for next year’s festival in August.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.