Fortville Bastille Day 2012

We are excited to announce Madame Karine Vinci will come all the way from France to our Bastille Day and she will bring along an unparalleled energy and love for public singing.
Karine Vinci has been singing in the French Southeast region for more than 25 years. In addition to interpreting classic folk French music, she also composes her own. The 3 music albums she produced received regional acclaim and earned Karine Vinci a devoted fan base.
In addition to her passion for singing and for music, Karine Vinci has authored and published one autobiographical novel and five poetry books.
We are honored to welcome Madame Vinci at our event and encourage visitors to come and meet her in person!

We are excited to announce that Sunset Donuts will offer hand-made savory crepes at our Fortville Bastille Day event! In addition to ham and cheese crepes, they will serve sweet crepes filled with Nutella or strawberry jam. They will also have iced-tea, coffee, and “diabolo menthe” (a typical French summer drink composed of mint syrup and sparkling water).

Peewinkle’s Puppet Studio is a charming old world style puppet theatre in downtown Indianapolis who presents captivating creative puppet shows for children. This year they will be at Fortville Bastille Day with no less than three 20 minute shows!
Be sure to bring your little ones to this fun-filled marionette performance presented by puppeteer Heidi. The dancing, juggling, high flying and cycling trick marionettes are guaranteed to delight children and adults alike.

What would be a family community event without a way for the little ones to burn their energy out? We are thrilled to announce the Salvation Army will bring a bounce house in the shape of their signature giant red kettle. Your kids will bounce their hearts out for a small donation, which is sure to help others in needs!

Bastille Day was declared France’s National Day in 1880 and the tradition has always been for every township to organize a lantern parade the night prior to the fourteenth of July. Our Fortville Bastille Day will follow this 130-year-old custom in grand fashion…

Photo by Chrissy Wainwright

Kids will learn how to make their own lanterns using empty plastic soda bottles (we are accepting donations of empty 1 or 2 litter bottles at 12 South Main – thank you!), colorful and fun tissue paper, picture hanging wire, tape and twigs. We’ll show them how to add a little bit of sand at the bottom, drop a tea light and light it: voilà! The result is a beautiful soft glow that makes for a serene yet joyful atmosphere at dusk. And for the collectors, we’ll also have authentic French lanterns for sale.

All lantern holders will be invited to gather next to the Landmark Park gazebo around 9:30p for the final procession. The parade will take participants throughout the park, strolling under the strings of lights hanging from tree to tree, accompanied by authentic French music, and will end at the entrance of the laser light area, where the show is to begin shortly after.

Don’t miss this stunning Bastille Day tradition!

We all know that past 4th of July we feel a little “fireworked out”. But a laser light show? Now that is something different…

2010 Bastille Day Laser Show

We had our first laser show last year and it was a new experience for many visitors. Images are projected on a giant screen while music is playing. On top of that, laser light beams are shone high into the sky, onto the nearby trees and buildings and right above spectators’ heads. Kids love the high tech of laser shows, and older folks are amazed by the unique and beautiful look of laser technology.

Laser Image Productions is the company behind the show. They are headquartered in Greenfield, Indiana, and travel all over the United States to perform in front of both small and very large crowds. We are very grateful to see them stop and participate in our Fortville Bastille Day.

Laser light shows are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fireworks. They are self-contained and require only power, water and setup space. They can go in all types of weather conditions and have no impact on the environment: they don’t leave residue and can’t cause fire. The show is produced using a 7-thousand-watt sound system, fog machines and intelligent lighting: full color Argon/Krypton white light lasers for the graphic images, and high power YAG laser beam projectors.

The family-friendly show will last approximately 25 minutes and include all types of music, French and American. Laser Light Shows are a great evening finale for any special event. People of all ages will gather on the grounds for the “coolest thing they have ever seen”.