French-speaking children at Centre Culturel La Ronde's day camp will get a taste of Italy this Friday.
La Ronde and The Porcupine Dante Club have partnered for an event featuring Italian music and pasta dinner.
It will be held at École Catholique Jacques-Cartier for students of La Ronde’s Été Soleil camp.
Été Soleil is a summer day program taking place from July until Aug. 27 for children aged four to 12.
“We’re pretty excited about this partnership because the Dante Club has been a part of Timmins for so many years and it’s fun to show our French-speaking students our different cultures in Timmins,” said La Ronde's executive director Lisa Bertrand.
Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the organization couldn’t do excursions, so La Ronde brought various fun activities to the camp instead.
That included different theme days, hosting theatre workshops, a foam party and doing an art project. There was also a Franco-Ontarian Day with the Lapointe family performing music.
On Friday, the Dante Club will be serving spaghetti with meatballs.
The Italian Stallions duo, comprised of the club’s past president Hector Ciccone and the executive member Domenic Colantonio, will be performing Italian and French songs. Ciccone plays an accordion and Colantonio is an opera singer.
Dominic Flaminio, the club’s manager, said he was pleased that Bertrand approached the club for a collaboration.
“We’re all not-for-profit organizations, so it’s really tough to survive, especially during these times,” he said. “For the French and Italian cultures to get together and help each other out in these times goes a long way. It means a lot.”
