Rain Moves Bastille Day Party Indoors, But Spirits Soar

Fredericksburg’s sister city is Fréjus, France, and the Bastille Day celebration on July 14 was all about this international bond.

“I’ve been there plenty of times,” Mathalie Bullock, a French resident of Fredericksburg, who loves celebrating the sister city recognition. Part of the celebration is a giant omelet that wasn’t on the menu this year, but Bullock remembers seeing it in the past. “Everyone breaks eggs. They did it once here, it was really cool,” she said.

The band was jamming, the wine was flowing, and the tri-color French flag was flying as the crowd filed into the second floor at Galvin’s once word spread that it was relocating from the outside venue in the park due to the approaching storms. Mayor Kerry Devine waited until The Untouchables band finished a rendition of Sonny and Cher’s “I got you babe,” before grabbing the microphone. 

“We have a deep connection to France,” Devine said. “Viva le France” was the toast before the band kicked in again. At one point, everyone was singing the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” before belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Deli owners Emma and Paul Stoddard were presented with Sister City coffee mugs for their last-minute efforts.

All this French influence at the Bastille Day celebration does have an official meaning, as Fredericksburg is celebrating its association with Fréjus, France, its “sister city.”

Frejus is a French city located on the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Cannes, a renowned French town famous for hosting the International Film Festival. The city features the ruins of a Roman amphitheater and an aqueduct from the time when this was used as their primary method of plumbing.

This was all overseen by the Fredericksburg Sister City Association, which is “dedicated to cultivating a special friendship and cultural exchange between the citizens of Fréjus, France, and those of the Fredericksburg area,” their description read. The pair was matched up as sister cities because they have similar socio-economic traits and population levels. This relationship dates back to 1980, when Fredericksburg and Frejus traded foreign exchange students, and they’ve done it several times since then, including in 2016, when a group came to Fredericksburg. 

The ‘Giant Omelet’ was originally cooked to feed hungry troops, but it has fallen victim to the COVID-19 era and has not been in Fredericksburg since 2020. Cooks are planning to cook one up in Frejus this year, when several people from Fredericksburg visit on September 14 for the 45th anniversary of the Fredericksburg-Frejus Sister City relationship.

A band called The Unsuitables provided the soundtrack to the Bastille event, and this was the first time they played in Fredericksburg. Their song list covered popular tunes spanning 40 years from the 1950s to the 1970s. With male and female singers, they were able to play cover tunes of many genres. Their regular circuit includes Culpeper, Warrenton, and Charlottesville, but someone mentioned a Bastille celebration, and they got a spot on stage.