MADAWASKA – Hundreds of people flocked to the Acadian Cross Site on Thursday afternoon for the annual re-enactment of the landing of the Acadians, and the official opening ceremonies of the 27th annual Acadian Festival.

A contingent arrived by canoe on the St. John River bank site behind the St. David Roman Catholic Church. Both the church and the landing site are in the United States Registry of National Historic Places.

Bright skies and large, puffy, white clouds graced the day.

Acadians first landed here in 1785, seeking a peaceful place to live outside the realm of the Loyalists near Fredericton, New Brunswick. Others came overland from Quebec seeking some of their own in their new homeland.

Those coming by canoe Thursday, including Roseanne Gendreau, president of the Gendreau Family Reunion, were greeted by descendants of American Indians. A cross was raised and the Gendreaus dedicated a tree to their family reunion and commemorated a granite plaque honoring their descendants.

The Gendreaus, Jandreaus, Johndros and Jondros are in town for the annual family reunion held during the Acadian Festival. Each year a different family holds a reunion.

Nearly 700 family members were registered by 3 p.m. Thursday. Roseanne Gendreau expects 300 to 500 more will register on Friday, traditionally the big day.

“It’s excellent, unbelievable,” Gendreau said before taking to her canoe. “It’s worth all the work we [the committee] have done in the past year.”

The Rev. Michael Gendreau, pastor of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Parish at Augusta, was in town for the weekend. He will concelebrate Sunday’s Gendreau reunion Mass with his cousin, Rev. Claude Gendreau, pastor of St. Louis Roman Catholic Parish at Fort Kent.

“Oui, je suis ici pour la reunion [Yes, I am here for the reunion],” said the Madawaska native. “My entire family, including aunts and uncles, will be here. I’ve been anticipating the weekend,” he said. “I’ve designed and had made new vestments for the Mass.”

He will be delivering the sermon at Sunday’s Mass.

“Gathered in love in the family of life, we are a sacred community,” he said is the theme of his sermon Sunday. “It is a gathering together, it’s what our faith asks of us.”

On Friday, those attending the family reunion and others will be able to attend sessions on genealogy, Acadian history, and the history of the Madawaska Territory.

During the weekend, they may also view genealogy charts on several arms of their large family. They are hung on the walls of the Madawaska High School gymnasium.

Favorites among souvenirs, which included hats, pins, coffee mugs, T-shirts and sweatshirts and their coat of arms, were a painting and photographs of the first Gendreau house built on L’Ile d’Orleans in Quebec in 1663.

“Things are going very good,” Laurie Sirois, executive director of the Greater Madawaska Chamber of Commerce, said about the festival that began last weekend. “This is the big weekend. We’ve had good response to the activities held this week,” the head of the sponsoring agency of the festival said. “We are looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”

Sirois said they had more than 100 entries for the Top of Main Bike Race last weekend, and they have more than 100 entries for Sunday’s parade.