Bastille Day and Petanque in Portland, Oregon!

This past weekend, the French community in Portland celebrated Bastille Day, their Independence Day, in a nice little downtown park. As many as 5,000 attended and were treated to live French music and song, a waiters' race, dog show, fencing demonstration and of course, petanque, all while enjoying merguez sausages, French beverages and an offering of French themed merchandise by local merchants.

The fellow from the San Francisco French Consulate was astonished and very pleased to see such an active petanque community so far from France.
Special thanks are due to Petanque America for boules sets awarded to participants in a free raffle.

Organized by the Portland Petanque Club with help from volunteers from other petanque groups, spectators enjoyed the boules pointing activities, the on-going petanque games, and a selection of literature about petanque and where and how to play our favorite game.



Our group was attracted to this activity because it seems to us that francophiles are ideal prospects for this wonderful past time. Maybe there is a similar opportunity in your community.

Here are a few waiters, walking fast and hoping their drinks don't spill! A player in the Portland Club won this race and several hundred dollars!

A tournament in the wine country of Burgundy!

From Les Amis de la Pétanque in Chalons-sur-Saône, we have notice of a men's and a women's triples tournament September 12-14, just a few months away.

Chalons-sur-Saône is just south of Beaune, well known for its fine wines.

For an official FPUSA team, tournament organizers are providing meals and lodging for 3 players and two additional persons.

There are trophies and prize money to the winners.

To be considered as the official FPUSA team contact Robert Pierre (rcpierresq@hotmail.com), our International Events Coordinator, ASAP, to begin the selection process.

New Blog site for La Petanque Mariniere

One longstanding Bay Area club and home to many fine players, La Petanque Mariniere, of Marin County, California announces their new blog site:

http://www.petanque-marin.blogspot.com/

All their current happenings are just a click away, including coverage of the New Zealand visit to the Sonoma area.

Have a look!

The "Kiwi's" come-a-calling!

After months of planning, nearly two dozen senior players in the New Zealand Petanque Federation have arrived to visit and play in California, beginning last weekend.

The idea of a competition between the Americans and the "Kiwi's" began with a conversation in Pattaya, Thailand at the "worlds" last year, between SC director Ed Porto and a player in the NZ federation, and it developed into three competitions, one each in Sonoma, Oakhurst, and Los Angeles, and sponsored by the VOMPC (Sonoma), LPM (San Rafael), OPC (Oakhurst), and LAPC (Los Angeles).

More than 70 players participated in Sonoma, and the paella pans were brimming over for one of the get togethers. The players from New Zealand walked off with a first place finish over us Americans in the Sonoma Tournament, 64-51, but there was great fun as you will see by visiting these links posted by players who attended the event.

www.petanque-marin.blogspot.com

http://cochonnetmarin.com/whatsnew.htm

They are on to Oakhurst and then to Los Angeles, now.

Congratulations to all the planners and players for this event!