A quiet but growing “French foreign legion” will gather Sunday at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, as members of the Alliance Francaise de DuPage celebrate Bastille Day with an annual “pique-nique.”
“We aren’t going to do anything dramatic,” said event organizer Cynthia McLaughlin. “We’re just going to raise the French flag, sing [“La Marseillaise”], play French games like croquet and petanque [a French version of bocce] and speak French with each other.”
Participants bring their own picnic lunches and tableware, and some vie to create the most authentically French dining experience possible, she added.
Speaking French is the prime purpose of the group, which numbers just over 60 members. They meet regularly in coffee shops and other places throughout the county to discuss French culture and events as they improve their fluency in the language, McLaughlin said.
The Bastille Day event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the forest preserve. For more information, visit the alliance’s Web site at www.afdupage.com.