The annual Bald Eagle Festival in Mount Stewart always features new elements. This year, the special addition will be a celebration of Acadian culture on the Hillsborough including individuals in period dress, a tintamarre and a flag raising ceremony with Ave Maris Stella, Acadian arts and crafts, Acadian food preparation, Acadian games and music, and Acadian food and herbs for sale. Francis Blanchard and Georges Arsenault will do presentations regarding Acadian history on the Hillsborough.

The core eagle festival activities will continue with:
. Gerald MacDougall speaking on Bald Eagles;
. Glen Kelly leading a tour to an eagle nest and the
historic red pine stand of Aeneas MacIntyre near
where the French harvested masts in the 1700s;
. A Bald Eagle taxidermy demonstration by Danny
Clark;
. Eagle viewing opportunities;
. A dynamic children’s program;
. A wildlife carving demonstration by the Mount
Stewart Lady Slippers Carvers;
. Birds and Breakfast; and more.

This year, beautiful eagle T-shirts will be available for sale. Most activities will occur between 10 am and 3 pm but the Birds and Breakfast will run on Saturday from 6 to 8 am. The celebrations and tours will focus on the Hillsborough River Eco-Centre and Pigot’s Trail in Mount Stewart.
The Eagle Festival is one of the primary activities of the Hillsborough River and Area Development Corporation and profits from the event are being used to help pay down the Eco-Centre mortgage debt. A special thanks is expressed to the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Building Arts and Heritage Program grant, a Tourism PEI’s Festival and Events grant, the P.E.I. Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry’s Fish and Wildlife Section staff, the Village of Mount Stewart, the Natural History Society of P.E.I., the Hillsborough River Association, Ginger Snap’s Treasures and Treats, Kristie’s Restaurant, CAFÉ Group operating out of Ècole La- Belle- Cloche, Roma at Three Rivers, and the many presenters and volunteers which helped make this program possible.
The Eagle Festival will be held on June 12th and 13th. Admission fees are $5 for individuals and $10 for families. For more information contact 569-1209 (evenings) or E-mail the Association at jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca Anyone wishing to purchase one of the Eagle Festival T-Shirts can contact the Association at 569-1416 or via E-mail at jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca