It's time to rock the Town of Mattawa as the 20th anniversary of Voyageur Days kicks off this week.
The festival will begin the weekend with a dedication to the newly carved statue of Big Joe Mufferaw made by local artist Clermont Duval. The Big Joe dedication ceremonies will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Mike Rodden Community Centre. The ceremony will include an opening performance by Stompin Tom’s son Taw Connors singing his father’s hit ‘Big Joe Mufferaw’.
(See the video at the end of this story)
Big Joe Mufferaw was a French Canadian folk hero who made his living chopping down trees.
The original statue of Big Joe was carved by Peter Cianafrani and was on display for 11 years on Explorers Point.
However Mother Nature was not kind to the original statue and like the trees he harvested, needed to come down.
The discussion to create the new statue began immediately and Clermont Duval’s work began in March with the carving of Big Joe’s head followed by carving the remainder of the statue in April and completed by June 30.
The finished statue is expected to be returned to it’s location by mid August.
Work on the engineered base will begin immediately after Mattawa Voyageur Days.
While the Big Joe Dedication ceremonies is free to the public, weekend wristbands for Mattawa Voyageur Days can still be purchased for $50 at the Mattawa Information Centre or for $60 at the gate. For more information, please contact Jacques Begin 705 498 2397 or Clermont Duval Sculptor at 705 744 5335.
