Bastille Festival: Celebrating France in Oregon

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Even though I've lived in Aix-en-Provence and Lyon, I've never been in France for la Fête Nationale on July 14th. I'm especially grateful, then, that my hometown of Portland, Oregon, is the site of the largest Bastille Day Festival on the West Coast. Organized by the Alliance Française de Portland, this family-friendly festival draws thousands of visitors over six hours of events. This year marked the tenth annual celebration. Here's what I continue to love about it:

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Child-Friendly French Events in the Pacific Northwest, Summer 2014:

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C'est l'été (it's nearly summer, anyway)! Here's a list of child-friendly French events in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. taking place this summer:

World Cup / Tour de France Airing at St. Honoré Boulangerie (June/July):

St. Honoré Boulangerie has such delightful French ambiance and authentic pastries (at any of their three locations around Portland) that it's always a treat to visit, but this month you'll have the excuse of enjoying a pain au chocolat with your child while watching the World Cup soccer games on a surreptitious flat-screen télé. Return again in July during the Tour de France programming to enjoy another perfect pastry.

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Summer Children's Activities for Practicing French at Home

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Does it feel like summer to you yet? It's so close here--we have friends visiting from out-of-state, and this is my husband's last week of teaching before his summer break. I've been thinking of simple summer activities that we can do to keep French integral to our days since my family will be spending more time together and we will be conversing more in English (my husband doesn't speak French). Here are my suggestions for simple children's activities for summer fun in French (and most of them can be used to practice another language as well):

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