BURLINGTON, Vt. -- The year 2009 will mark the 400^th anniversary of when French explorer Samuel de Champlain traveled by canoe up the Richelieu River and came upon a lake spanning 120 miles in length and 12 miles in width.Vermont will commemorate this historic event in 2009 with festivals, pageants, exhibits, performances, educational symposiums and much more. There will be something for everybody; and all are invited to share in the fun and help commemorate this historic moment.
            The American Bus Association (ABA) announced that the "Vermont Celebrates Champlain," and "Hudson 400th Celebration of Discovery" are the winning U.S. events, respectively, as ABA released its 2009 list of the "Top 100 Events in North America."
            The annual guide for professional travel planners and the general public, now in its 27th year, highlights the top fairs, festivals, parades and regional events across North America. While the Top 100 are not ranked, ABA highlights the top U.S. and Canadian events for 2009.
            First Night Burlington on Dec. 31, kicks off the statewide "Vermont Celebrates Champlain" commemoration events. Other Quadricentennial signature events will follow throughout the year, including the July 3^rd Independence Day celebration on the Burlington Waterfront.

Champlain College Symposium Examines History of French Explorer

            Champlain College has created an international academic symposium and lecture series to celebrate the Quadricentennial of the founding of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain. The symposium will be held from July 2-5, 2009, and presentations will be free and open to the public. This, the only academic symposium to be offered as part of the region's Quadricentennial celebration, will be a kick-off event to the area's many summer activities.

            The theme of the symposium, lecture series and an associated Web site is "When the French Were Here." Experts from France, Canada and across the United States will gather at Champlain College, a private college that was named for the lake that it overlooks from Burlington's Hill Section.

            The College is tapping into the history expertise of two of its professors, Willard Sterne Randall and Dr. Nancy Nahra, to create the Quadricentennial events. Both have researched and lectured on the history of the region and its inhabitants over the last decade. More recently, they've examined maps and texts in France and Canada. Randall also teaches a Vermont history course at the College and is a Pulitzer Prize nominated biographer.

            "The lake is so much a part of what we are here in our region," Nahra said. "And through it, Samuel de Champlain's history collides with our own."

            Samuel de Champlain named for himself the long, narrow lake that he explored in 1609. He was exploring and mapping "New France" for King Henry IV of France and he entered the lake from its northern tip, paddling in war canoes with Native American guides. He would later battle the Iroquois at Fort Ticonderoga, in the southern end of the lake, marking the first battle of the French-Indian War.

            A lecture series by Champlain College's Willard Sterne Randall also illuminates Champlain's life and includes four offerings over the course of a year and a half.

            The theme of the celebration, "When the French Were Here," invites the broadest possible consideration of Samuel de Champlain's achievements, his life, and of his world as a cultural, social and ideological context. Champlain's conference is not divided along rigid lines.

            "Instead, we prefer to encourage talks from many and varied perspectives that examine Samuel de Champlain and the lake named for him, according to Randall.  

Paper topics may include the following, while not limited to these few:

• Life and achievements of Samuel de Champlain
• France at the time of Samuel de Champlain
• Exploration of the New World - background
• Navigation history
• Military history
• Social history
• Maps and mapmaking
• Contact of civilizations
• Previous centennial celebrations
• "New France" and "New England"
• History, geology and culture of Lake Champlain

            A call for scholars wishing to participate has been issued. Papers to be read will be of 15- to 20- minutes in length, roughly 2,000 words. After the conference, the papers read will be collected and published as conference proceedings. Abstracts and CVs may be submitted electronically by Oct. 1, 2008.
            Please direct all questions about papers to: Willard Sterne Randall, Randall@champlain.edu, Nancy Nahra Nahra@champlain.edu. For an overview of the symposium and a timeline of events, visit www.champlainquadricentennial.com.
            Randall opens Champlain College's 2008-09 "Leadership American Style" lecture series on Oct. 15 with a talk entitled "Champlain Names His Lake." It is based on his three years of research and travel to track down Champlain's hometown in France and the many ports of call Champlain visited during his explorations. The free lecture is at 7:30 pm in Champlain College Alumni Auditorium.

            Champlain College has also created a resource about Samuel de Champlain on the Internet. The Web-based resources at http://www.champlainquadricentennial.com/ include a history timeline and biography of Samuel de Champlain, maps, a call for papers for the symposium and teaching resources for schools and parents. Papers from the international symposium will also be made available online after the event.

            The College is coordinating its activities with the Quadricentennial committees of the states of Vermont and New York and the City of Burlington, Vt.

            Participants in the July 2 - 5, 2009, on-campus symposium will be able to book rooms in Champlain College's residence halls. Scholars are encouraged to bring their families because there will be many other activities to fill out the celebration. During the Independence Day celebration,  for example, participants can join a chartered fireworks cruise on Champlain's lake.
            Champlain College has 2,000 undergraduate students and is ranked 12th in the top tier of Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North by 2009 America's Best Colleges. Champlain College also offers study abroad programs with campuses in Dublin, Ireland and Montreal, Quebec and extensive online and continuing professional education. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu. 

Other Quadricentennial Celebration Events

            Other annual events will celebrate Champlain: the Vermont Maple Festival, April 24-26, the Lilac Festival at the Shelburne Museum in late May, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, June 5-14, the Vermont Quilt Festival, June 19-21, the Green Mountain Chew-Chew Festival, June 27-30, and the Champlain Valley Fair, Aug. 29-Sept. 7..  These are some of the events listed on www.CelebrateChamplain.org/events, along with contact information for individual events.

            The Top 100 list is chosen from among 524 events nominated by state and provincial tourism officials and CVBs. A 14-member Selection Committee of tour operators bases its picks on the events' broad appeal, their accessibility to groups arriving by motorcoach, and other criteria. The full list of 2009 winners is on www.buses.org/2009Top100.

            "With the rich history and beautiful landscape in both upstate New York and neighboring Vermont and the motorcoach-friendly aspects of both, these events are great examples of the wonderful group travel destinations North America has to offer," said ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso.