This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Saint-Donat did not wait for its 150th anniversary and the festive programming that comes with this special year to get a makeover. Something has been brewing in this municipality of Lanaudière for several years now that is worth the detour.
During the last days of September, Saint-Donat has a beating heart. The parks are busy, the hiking trails are busy, courageous swimmers have even gotten wet at the beach at Parc des Pionniers and the sun-drenched terraces of Rue Principale are busy.
This was not always the case. “When I arrived as municipal councilor, in 2005, the closures of businesses in the village had hurt and there was this desire to revitalize the municipality,” says Joé Deslauriers, mayor of the town of 4,730 inhabitants since 2013. Born at Saint-Donat, he found his guiding light shortly after the start of his mandate when he met a visiting Frenchman. “I will always remember, he told me: ‘Here, it’s like a park, but an inhabited park.’ » Joé Deslauriers knew from that moment on what to articulate his vision around: he wanted to make the 360 square kilometer territory a place where there would be numerous outdoor opportunities, but where it would also be good to “live”.
With more than 1000 kilometers of developed trails, 81 lakes, 2 ski resorts, a golf course and a gateway to Mont-Tremblant National Park, it’s true that there is plenty to have fun around this municipality which has attracted vacationers for over a century thanks to the beauty of its nature. “The lakes and mountains are our blue gold,” confirms the mayor. Swimming, hiking, mountain biking, quad biking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing: there are many reasons for sports enthusiasts to come to Saint-Donat… and then stay to stretch out the day.
A living village
On Rue Principale, around ten addresses and as many terraces await those who would like to grab a post-outdoor bite. Among these, there is the Brouemalt microbrewery which has contributed for seven years to changing the face of the village core. “The place was created because we wanted a gathering place for everyone, which brings together groups of friends as well as families, as much residents as visitors,” says Fannie Bessette, who forms with her sidekick Mélissa Raymond one of the rare teams of exclusively female microbrewery owners in Quebec. They have set up three terraces, offer comedy evenings and musical performances, and take pride in being open seven days a week in order to contribute in their own way to the vitality of their adopted city.
Alongside them: café, sandwich shop, bakery, creamery and restaurants line Principale Street, making downtown Saint-Donat a lively place where it is pleasant to stroll.
150 years of culture and nature
It is also there, in the heart of the village, that we feel the year of festivities that brings Saint-Donat to life. Posters evoke the 150epanels tell the story of people and significant events for the municipality, and upcoming programming is displayed.
The anniversary has repercussions as far as Lake Archambault where the Saindona riverboat transported to Saint-Donat for the occasion, allows you to enjoy a 90-minute cruise during which the guide looks back on the events that shaped the history of the village. An original way to enjoy the colors and learn more about the region.
The festive program of Saint-Donat, which has been spread throughout the year, will end with a closing evening on November 30. But Joé Deslauriers is already talking about the legacy of this 150e birthday. “Certain ideas that have been successful will remain: this is the case of the soap box race and the cruise on Lake Archambault which will return at least for the fall of 2025. But above all, I think that the Donatiens will emerge from this year with great pride in their “inhabited park”! »
The author was supported by Tourisme Lanaudière and the Le Grand R hotel complex, who had no right to review this text.
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