St. Anne’s Picnic returns to Elsipogtog after decades-long hiatus

An age-old tradition is returning to Elsipogtog today. St. Anne’s Picnic was once an annual gathering in the community, but it hasn’t taken place for decades. Now, the celebration is being revived. 

The event is taking place at the Elsipogtog Community Hall today from noon until 5 p.m. Plans for the event include a barbecue and corn boil, along with spaghetti and losgenigen (also spelled luskinikn, it’s a Mi’kmaq bread similar to bannock dating back to the early days of trading with settlers). 

There will also be outdoor games for youth, bingo, horse wagon rides, a DJ, and a dunk tank, according to promotion for the event. 

One of the organizers was a small child the last time St. Anne’s Picnic took place in Elsipogtog. “I remember the bingos and I remember the prizes, the games,” said Lindsey Paul. 

It’s hard to say for sure the last time that St. Anne’s Picnic was held in Elsipogtog. One community member said it hadn’t taken place since 1987. “We tried to bring it back then and it just didn’t take off,” said Foster Augustine. 

St. Anne has been the patron saint of the Mi’kmaq people since the early 1600s, after the French introduced Catholicism to the Wabanaki region. According to tradition, St. Anne is regarded as the grandmother of Jesus, linking her to respect for Elders in many Indigenous cultures. 

Unlike the picnic in Elsipogtog, St. Anne’s Day itself takes place on the last Sunday of July.

While the picnic has its roots in Catholicism, attitudes towards the church are mixed in the community due to factors like intergenerational trauma from residential schools.

Paul said she isn’t religious but is motivated by a desire to contribute to the community. 

“I feel like I’m a part of the community doing something good, bringing something back that the Elders enjoy doing,” she said. 

David Gordon Koch is a staff reporter for the NB Media Co-op based in Moncton. Lisha Francis is a student at St. Thomas University who lives in Elsipogtog.