The French Connection - not the Oscar-winning film, or the NHL's Buffalo Sabres famous forward line from the 1970s, but the Fort Langley National Historic Site's strong link to all things French Canadian - was celebrated locally this weekend.

In 1827, James McMillan arrived on the Fraser River with an Iroquois, a Hawaiian, several Britons and Scots, but mostly French Canadians.

This band of workers built the first Fort Langley in hopes of establishing trade relations with the First Nations.

At the peak of its fur trade days, Fort Langley boasted a French-Canadian population of about one third of its total employees.

As a result, the principal language spoken among the employees would have been French. Many Anglophones holding higher positions in the Hudson's Bay Company were instructed to learn French before they were posted to a fort like Langley.

This link to French Canada, past and present, was the impetus behind this past weekend's third annual Vive les voyageurs Winter Festival.

Saturday and Sunday, hungry visitors savoured French-Canadian favourites such as split pea soup, sugar pie, and poutine at the Full Barrel Café.

The café also served up tourtière.

Children sang along with children's performers, VAZZY, while making crafts, learning finger weaving, and meeting Parks Canada's new mascot, Parka the Beaver.

Visitors took part in hands-on spoon-and-jig workshops, Métis beadwork demonstrations, and fur trade weddings.

Those who don't speak French learned basics through the French 101 program

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