The flag over the entrance way to Salamanders of Kemptville is that of the Acadians. It was chosen in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island in 1884 during the second National Acadian Convention. It was proposed by Reverend Marcel-François Richard from Saint-Louis, New Brunswick, President of the 3rd Commission responsible for studying the choice of a national flag for the Acadian people.

Acadians are the original French settlers in the area located north of Halifax, Nova Scotia, – the Gaspereau Valley. In 1755, the British carried out the Great Expulsion, deported some 11,500 Acadians and dispersed them across North America. This gave rise to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem A Tale of Acadie, where he depicted the pain and suffering of the Acadians as they were being turned out of their homes and lands. Some Acadians migrated to present day Louisiana, where they developed what is now known as the Cajun culture (Cajun is the Louisiana pronunciation of Acadian). Later, many Acadians who had been dispersed returned to the Maritimes: but since they were barred from resettling in their lands and villages (such as Grand Pré) in the land that became known as Nova Scotia, many settled in New Brunswick in the Memramcook area.

We at Salamanders are proud of our Acadian-Cajun ancestry and hope you will enjoy our family-inspired meals while a guest in our restaurant.