Roma at Three Rivers is a National Historic Site on Prince Edward Island
Each La Petite-Fête will connect you with the past ... starting with a 1730s meal while enjoying French music and songs.  Following lunch, each event will have a new and different heritage presenter giving you a glimps of Brudenell Point's past. Afterwards, you will be invited to join a guided heritage tour ... hike into the past and/or visit Roma's Heritage Room for stories about our "Special Treasures" ... the  1730s artifacts unearthered at the  Site
Lunch will be served 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. The foods presented will be the ones we believe were served at the time of Jean-Pierre Roma ...  hearty whole wheat bread baked in the open oven, and a lunch introducing you to the tastes, and eating habits of the 1730s. We hope you enjoy the traditions and customs from the 18th century.  Bon Appétit!
In New France, the cod catch was everything.  Vast quantities of dried and salted cod were readied for export to feed the European diet. Our sailor, dressed in period costume, will introduce you to the shallop and schooner fishery of the 1730s. Hoping to profit from the rich fishery  he will explain why he came to Roma , his daily chores,  shipmate stories  and how the fish traded. He will explain both the dry fishery and the green fishery of the 1730s. Hear his tales of the high seas in a time when navigation was dangerous. The fishing boats are heading to the banks….Full sail ahead!
In New France bread was the single most important food in the diet.  It was not only the comfort food of the 1730s, it was the basis of survival and on average, one person consumed over a pound of bread a day. Wheat and rye were the basic ingredients of the heavy whole wheat dough.  Recipes were not written down, but we think the oven fire would have been started at 2:00 a.m.to have bread baked and ready for the day... you can skip the 2:00 am fire but do come at noon to learn how the bread was baked in the 1730s .  Our bread-baker will show you how to manage a wood fire and bake tasty morsels in the outdoor brick oven.  Just as in the 1730s, the servants and bread sellers in voluminous aprons, will help with the chores.
What was it like to live in the early 1700s? You'll glimpse how people lived, worked and played.  We'll introduce you to a time when activities were definitely "women's work" or "men's work."  We don the apparel of the 18th century and the clothing will give you a clue to the social status or trade of Roma's people. They displayed their wealth (or the lack of it) on their backs. Why would elbows be sensous?  It was a time of the privileged and the peasants. The sun was the center of the solar system, the King was the center of society and the man was the center of the family.  Explore the social structure, manners and customs of another era. 
Explore the past. Discover the typical way of bringing colour into the lives of 18th century Maritimers. No wonder wool was so scratchy, learn about the weeds and plants that a master spinner chose to dye yarn in the 1730s.
The significance of Roma at Trois Rivières is credited to the man himself... because Jean-Pierre Roma was the force behind carving the the feudal estate  out of the woods at Three Rivers .  Hear about the adventures and obstacles of this entrepreneur, who survived, an Atlantic ocean apart from his business partners. Jean-Pierre Roma had confidence, and given the manpower, demonstrated that anything was possible. He took the opportunity to build P.E.I.'s first roads and P.E.I.'s first commercial company. How many men do you think it took to remove a  tree stump?

Come and listen to the drama of colourful characters Jean-Pierre Roma, a natural leader,  being argumentive with Abbé de Bierne, the Settlement's priest making Island history 1730s style.
Jean-Pierre Roma, one of the Island's first merchants and pioneers, loved a party!  Come enjoy the sounds that take you on a journey through time.  Listen to the musical voices of history and join us in a French chaisson.  Colourful characters, re-enact the music of the past ...
What was it like to be a child in the early 1700s?  Learn about the toys of the past!  Enter up the pathway to discover children playing with wooden hoops.  Before entering the workforce at the age of seven, a child's world in the 1730s was filled with chores and playtime.  Try your skill with the moon winders.  Join in the fun at old-fashioned quoits.  Learn the art of lucet. 
Visitors to Roma at Three Rivers frequently ask why the garden is behind a fence. Step back into history and follow our maitre jardinier  on an excursion through a 1730's herb garden. Learn which herbs were used to flavour soups and which were used to cure headaches and upset stomachs. Some plants were used for dyes and cosmetics but neither potatoes nor tomatoes were considered edible among the potagers en Nouvelle France.

Today's heritage tour will be of the garden.
The Roma Feast, the big fund raising event of the year, will feature heritage  foods typical of the 1730s accompanied by French music and song and featuring a guest appearance of Jean Pierre Roma himself . Tickets go on sale August 1st.   Phone 838 - 3413 to purchase ...
The 2007 Feast was a huge success ... take a look
Event admission includes a heritage lunch, heritage program and tour:
PRE REGISTER & SAVE:  $10.00/person; children 5 & under (FREE); children 6-12/ $5.00 
 GATE CHARGE (on the day of the Fête):  $15.00/person; children 5 & under (FREE);  children 6-12 (8.00) 
... Save $5.00 by pre registering ... Pre register by calling 838 3413 ...
Each La Petite Fête is limited to 50 people
Roma's summer program offering guided tours and costumed interpreters will begin June 29th and run until August 30th. New this year will be the 8 Petites Fêtes featuring heritage presentations including lunch typical of the 1730s
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Feel free to wonder the Roma Site and browse the signage explaining the  historical significance of the Jean Pierre Roma era (1732-1745) and the Macdonald era of the 1800s ... check out our collection of artifacts unearthed at the Site in the 1960s. Or simply bring a picnic lunch, relax, and enjoy one of the loveliest views in eastern PEI
LES PETITES FETES ... SUMMER 2008
HERITAGE LUNCH ... provided at each La Petite-Fête
July 13 (Sunday) ... the 1730s  COD FISHERY
July 16 (Wednesday) ... BREAD - STAPLE of the 1730s DIET
July 20 (Sunday) ... COMMUNITY LIFE in the 1730s
July 23 (Wednesday) ... The ART OF DYING YARN & FABRICS of the 1730s
July 27 (Sunday) ... ROMA HIMSELF - HIS HOPES, DREAMS & DEVELOMENT
July 30 (Wednesday) ... FRENCH MUSIC & SONG
August 3 (Sunday) ... A CHILD'S LIFE - TOYS OF THE TIME
August 6 (Wednesday) ... WORKING with HERBS - MEDICINAL & CULINARY
September 6 (Saturday) 2008 ... HERITAGE CULINARY FEAST
New for the 2008 season, experience Roma during a series of of 8 Les Petites Fetes,
 lively and interactive programs offered in our historic pavilion with a heritage lunch provided (see dates below) ...
also new this summer are two new group experiences ... That's Life! In the 1700s and/or Fish Tales & Tall Ships ... of course, Roma is open for touring from 10 to 6, seven days a week from June 29th to September 1st ...
you may want to hike the 9 km of nature trails ending with a refreshing cup of iced mint tea with the tea leaves coming from our heritage garden ...
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We acknowledge the financial support of the province of Prince Edward Island Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage
Ian and Deanne Farr