A Coquitlam francophone group that promotes Maillardville has found a trendy way for the community to learn about its French-Canadian roots.
On Thursday, Société Francophone de Maillardville will host its first geocaching project for the public to explore the historic neighbourhood.
Geocaching is a treasure hunt where participants can look for hidden objects using GPS coordinates posted on a website, via their smart phone.
Launched in March to coincide with the society's annual Festival du Bois at Mackin Park, the federally funded project — with additional revenue from Conseil culturel et artistique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique — is mirrored on similar exercises employed in bilingual communities in Kamloops and Kelowna.
The Maillardville geocache has 12 logs that contain stories about Maillardville's past, written in English and French. They are descriptions of the enclave's origins, its pioneers, the Fraser Mills sawmill and the call for preservation.
A vehicle is required to locate the dozen caches.
Attendees are asked to meet at the skateboard park at Mackin Park (1046 Brunette Ave.) on Aug. 11 at 12:30 p.m. The first 50 participants will receive a T-shirt or a reusable bag with an image of the public art piece designed by Sylvie Roussel-Janssens representing the compass of Maillardville.
Admission is free. Visit geocaching.com to log on (member name: francomaillardville). To RSVP, email [email protected]. Visit maillardville.com.
