Maillardville of 100 years ago will be brought back to life in music, food and song this Saturday, Oct. 3 as the francophone community in Coquitlam celebrates a century of history.

Those attending the gala called Le Rêve d'un Village at the Red Robinson Show Theatre can expect to be feted in a most unusual way. Forget dreary speeches, a rubber chicken meal and a dull slide show. This gala will feature a dinner with bread, savories, vegetables and desserts that would have been eaten by Maillardville's original pioneers and a 90-minute show presented by a large cast of popular francophone singers and musicians, some of whom have travelled across the country for this single evening performance.

Even now, artistic director Isabelle Longnus is putting together the final touches of the show that will see performers, including famous country singer Lucille Starr, popular francophone singer Lennie Gallant, the band Jou Tou and choreographer Noam Gagnon, blend their talents to capture the sights and sounds of Maillardville from 1909 to the present in a series of musical vignettes.

It seems like a huge endeavour for just one night, but Longnus says it will all be worth it if those who attend the gala leave feeling like they've touched the soul of the original pioneers who carved a vibrant community out of the damp forest.

"I just want people, in 90 minutes, to feel the spirit, the energy, the courage and the struggle [and that] that all their [the pioneers'] sentiment and emotion can be explained and felt, just for a second," said Longnus, who not only created the show but has attended to every detail, including selecting the artists, planning the set, choosing the menu and designing how the food will look on the plate.

The Maillardville story has been getting a lot of attention in the last several months with a New Year's Eve party, monthly events, the publishing of a couple of history books, and the recognition of the city's francophone pioneers. More people now know about how 100 pioneers boarded a train for a new life in the west in 1909, and how they built a Catholic church a year later led by the French priest, Father Maillard, who lent the town his name. They also know of the community's struggles to be accepted, including a terrible strike at the mill in 1931 at the beginning of the Great Depression.

But few, except those who grew up in the community on the city's west side, know about the its rich cultural life that took place in private parlours and kitchens.

Longnus, a cultural transplant from France who has earned a name for herself producing francophone TV shows and other artistic events across Canada, hopes to enlighten them with this homage to all things Maillardviille.

She began by interviewing long-time residents, and learning their stories, searching through the archives at Mackin House Museum for photos and walking around the town. There's not much left of it other than a few family homes, but Longnus said that's not the point — it's people who make history, not buildings.

She hopes the show, featuring musicians and singers from Coquitam and cities across Canada including Halilfax, and Montreal, will be able to convey the emotion and the struggles of the original pioneers. Canada is a country of immigrants, and the Maillardville story is one common to numerous groups and individuals, she said.

"It's in the heart of people, when you take the time to talk to them. It's like any other community in Canada. That's why the show is like that — it's about people. When you go back to where you come from, there's flavour and smells you want to get back," said Longnus, noting that the show isn't so much a history lesson but a cultural immersion for francophones and English-speakers alike.

A case in point is the song Le Rêve d'un Village. Longnus wrote it for the centennial, but it was also her inspiration for the show. The words are simple, the musical accompaniment is typically French-Canadian — the spoons and the fiddle. And the rough-hewn voice of Jean Lambert, of the popular local singing group The Jammers, is a sharp contrast to the sweet harmonies of Les Echos du Pacifique choir.

Together the words, the voices and the musical composition create a vision of life in a simpler, yet no less challenging, time offering a hint of what is to come next Saturday night.

Tickets are $75 for the dinner-show and $35 for the show only. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.Maillardville100.com.