Cleveland French Community Bastille Day Celebration
Members of the French American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) held their annual Bastille Day celebration on Sunday July 13, 2025 at a new French restaurant, La Ville Lumière. La Ville Lumière translates to City of Lights and, as you will see in the video, FACC President Larry Miller told of the connection re Paris and Cleveland as cities of light. He also told of the vibrant relationship between Cleveland and its Sister City Rouen France.
The Cleveland French community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. The French community participated in the Parade of Flags.
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French Garden in the Parade of Flags at One World Day 2024
French Cultural Garden Ribbon Cutting April 7, 2024
French American Chamber of Commerce board members and other guests visited the site of the French Cultural Garden for an official ribbon cutting ceremony on April 7, 2024.
French Cultural Garden official ribbon cutting
The event included speeches from the Garden leaders, architect and more telling about the past, present and future of the French Cultural Garden.
Monet in Focus exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Monet in Focus features five paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet, created during the latter half of the artist’s life when he fully immersed himself in capturing the momentary effects of light and atmosphere on his subjects. The "Monet in Focus" exhibit includes five Monet paintings.
Heather Lemonedes Brown, CMA curator of modern European art
Degas and the Laundress: Women, Work, and Impressionism
Edgar Degas was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. His reputation was built on images of upper-middle-class entertainment in 19th century Paris - especially dancers and horse racing. Degas is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers.
This is a very surprising (to me) new exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It's surprising for the very narrow topic of the exhibition and also for the quantity of pieces on that topic from big name artists such as Degas, Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec and Picasso.
The Cleveland French community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 50,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2023.
The French community participated in the Parade of Flags which had 1500 people from over 53 countries.
French American Chamber of Commerce of Ohio 30th Anniversary
The French American Chamber of Commerce - Ohio Chapter is one of the multiple Chapters of the French American Chamber of Commerce founded in May 1993. The FACC network was created in 1896, making it the oldest bilateral chamber of commerce in the USA. The Ohio Chapter hosted a 30th anniversary event at Cleveland State University.
French Cultural Garden on One World Day 2022 in Cleveland
The Cleveland French community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 40,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2022.
The French community participated in the Parade of Flags.
French Cultural Garden in the Parade of Flags
Here is a video of the entire Parade of Flags.
They then welcomed visitors to thesite of their Garden and shared their culture.
Bastille Day Celebration at the Tall Ships Festival July 8-9, 2022
As Larry Miller, President, French-American Chamber Commerce (Ohio) said, it was fortunate that the Tall Ships Festival took place in between the 4th of July and Bastille Day celebrations. Not to mention during early stages of the Tour de France.
Yannick Tagand, who was appointed Consul General of France in Chicago in September 2021 with jurisdiction for thirteen States, visited Cleveland for the celebration and to honor Cédric Le Rouge as the new Honorary Consul.
In this special episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the map of the most famous bicycle race in the world, the Tour de France. Dan admits that he knew very little about the Tour de France outside of hearing names like Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong and about the yellow jersey. But while flipping through TV channels he saw some of the race and became hooked.
The peloton is particularly intriguing with the large group of riders mere inches from each other and the individual and team strategies for drafting and more. He also learned about the significance of not just the yellow jersey but the green, white and polka dot jerseys. The 2022 Tour de France (going on right now) began on July 1 with the Grand Départ in Denmark, the 10th country to host a start. With about 5.8 million people in Denmark about 9 out of 10 Danes own a bicycle and there are about 12,000km of bike routes across the country. There are 673,000 bikes just in the capital city of Copenhagen which has been named the world's best cycling city.
In this video Dan touches on the history of the race and some of the countries it has passed through. He is looking forward to the final stage in Paris on July 24 as the cyclists ride down the Champs-Élysées.
The French community of Cleveland and NEOhio was represented at One World Day on August 29, 2021 in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. The French-American Chambers of Commerce (FACC) with C. Larry Miller, Cedric LeRouge and others led the effort.
We had a great day Saturday with 80 friends of the French American Chamber of Commerce - Ohio Chapter at the The Cleveland Museum of Art … our first in-person event in two years. The event began with presentations about Bastille Day and the future French Cultural Garden.
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosted the 74th annual One World Day on August 25, 2019. Police estimates say that over 30,000 people visited the Gardens and attended One World Day. Though the French community does not yet have a completed Cultural Garden, the culture was well represented.
A highlight of One World Day is the Parade of Flags where people in costumes of their heritage carry the flags. This year was undoubtedly the largest and most colorful in memory.
French community in the One World Day Parade of Flags
We found a terrific guide to 100 Things to do in France that you may be interested in. It's from a couple who write about their RV lifestyle.
Of course the main attractions (Eifel Tower, Louvre, etc.) are covered there are plenty of lesser known things to do such as The Museum of Vampires and Legendary Creatures and Jardin des Plantes. Each brief explanation has a nice, colorful photo. Check it out.
2018
Bastille Day 2018 in Cleveland
In 2008 a formal Sister City relationship was established between Cleveland and Rouen. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this relationship, a delegation from Rouen, led by Mayor Yvon Robert, visited Cleveland over the Bastille Day weekend. Among other activities, a Bastille Day Celebration was held in Wade Oval in University Circle on July 14, 2018 with French food and music. It was coordinated by the FACC - The French American Chamber of Commerce - Ohio Chapter.
Mayor Yvon Robert and Rouen delegation visit Cleveland
Rouen is located on the River Seine in the north of France. It is the capital of the region of Normandy. There has been a Cleveland connection since the days of World War I when Professor George Crile was stationed in Rouen. Back in Cleveland, he was one of the co-founders of the Cleveland Clinic, which today has an agreement with the Rouen University Hospital.
Rouen also has a history with Cleveland companies such as Lubrizol. In 2008 a formal Sister City relationship was established between Cleveland and Rouen.
Coat of Arms of Rouen France
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this relationship, a delegation from Rouen, led by Mayor Yvon Robert, visited Cleveland over the Bastille Day weekend. (The group was en route back to France as the French soccer team won the World Cup!)
French Culinary and Nutrition Week
November 26-29, 2012
Last autumn, the Seine-Maritime Chamber of skilled Crafts took part in the official visit to Cleveland OH by a French delegation from Rouen, Cleveland's Sister City.
During the visit there were many discussions about ways to promote business exchanges between France and Cleveland.
One area of particular interest was the rapidly growing health and restaurant industries in Northeast Ohio. Thus was born the Normandy Culinary and Health Event in Cleveland.
Larry Miller, Mr. Stéphane Bordier, Valarie McCall and Mr. Dominique Moulard
The week included a nutrition presentation to healthcare professionals at the Cleveland Clinic, cooking demonstrations by award-winning French chefs at the Tri-C Hospitality Management Center just off Public Square and various opportunities to sample and learn about Rouen food and cooking techniques.
One of the highlights of the week was Cooking Demonstration by Master Chef Alexis Caquelard and his apprentice Anthony Coufourier at the Tri-C Hospitality Management Center.
Anthony Coufourier, Ms Carole Angenot and Master Chef Alexis Caquelard
2011
Madame Gigi's Outrageous French Cancan Dancers
Jeanette Watts of Madame Gigi's Outrageous French Cancan Dancers explains how the Cancan came to be. This is followed by snippets from their performance (and audience participation) at Cleveland Oktoberfest.
2009
Rouen Mayor Valerie Fourneyron and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson at Cleveland City Hall July 2, 2009
Organizations and Resources for French in Cleveland
Cleveland and Rouen are sister cities. Mayor Frank Jackson led the Cleveland delegation to France to meet the Rouen delegation. The official signing took place in summer 2008
The FACC is a non-profit, non-political organization whose mission is to encourage the trade of goods and services, promote investment, provide information for business expansion, coordinate the efforts of international agencies, and foster global understanding between France and the Northeast Ohio area.
Where French is spoken
In the darkest blue areas, French is the native language. Lighter blue it is the administrative language. Even lighter blue is the secondary or non-official language. The green areas have francophone minorities.
France is a member of the G8 group of leading industrialized nations and is ranked as the sixth largest economy by nominal GDP. France joined 11 other EU members to launch the euro on January 1, 1999, with euro coins and banknotes completely replacing the French franc in early 2002.
Josh Knerly, honorary French consul in Cleveland, said "France is a great place if you want to be in business in Europe."
1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
France
Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state.
Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations.
In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999.
At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy.
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