Local named to Queen’s Court for parade

This year’s Chateauguay Valley Irish Heritage Association (CVIHA) Queen Selection and Celtic Celebration was a momentous affair, with more than 200 people in attendance to find out who would be the Queen and her court for their St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.

Among the six who vied for a place in the parade was Kahnawa’kehró:non Kahentísa’s Alfred, who has been involved with the CVIHA for many years, including as a practitioner of Irish dance.

After presenting themselves to the judges and some deliberation, it was decided that Alfred would be a part of the court as one of the princesses this year.

“She stood up there and she shared who she was. She was confident. She knew about Irish culture. She talked about her connection to community, her history as an Irish dancer, and just how much it meant to her to represent us,” said Tiffany Dickie, CVIHA’s director of public relations.

“I vividly remember her running for junior princess. It was really nice to see her come back as this confident young woman ready to represent the community in the association. It was very much a coming-of-age tale for her to be up there and to be so successful and to have been so confident in herself.”

Dickie, who herself did Irish dance for a long time, was one Alfred’s dance teachers when she was young, so she knows how much time she has spent involved in the community and representing it already.

“Seeing her go from that girl to who she is now, it’s just absolutely incredible. I’m so proud of her,” said Dickie.

Dickie said that being a part of the court is not about hierarchy, but about involvement with the community and representing it well.

“We try to make it so that it’s a very inclusive thing and it’s not a hierarchy. We just appreciate that people are willing to give up their time to be a part of this,” said Dickie.

For the 20th anniversary of Chateauguay’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, Dickie said that CVIHA is looking to get back to its roots.

That includes things like a return to formal dress at this year’s CVIHA Queen Selection and Celtic Celebration, but to her, it means more than that.

“When we talk about our roots, I don’t think we have roots without Indigenous culture,” said Dickie.

As such, the association has made efforts to include Kahnawake in the festivities; organizations in Kahnawake will be taking part in the March 23 parade and grand chief Cody Diabo will be one of the parade judges.

“We’re just trying to diversify our membership, our representation, and our involvement with the communities around Chateauguay,” said Dickie.

While Alfred was not named princess because she is from Kahnawake, according to Dickie, her ability to represent herself and her culture made her stand out.

“She let her culture represent itself. I think she did a beautiful job of being herself on stage and representing Mohawk culture and Irish culture simultaneously in such a respectful way. I was blown away that someone her age was able to do something like that,” said Dickie.

Alfred will be joined in the parade by the queen, Olivia De Repentigny, and the other princess, Hailie Aube McKenna.

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