Portland’s 11th Annual Bastille Day Festival est une Grande Fête

Waiters have to race as fast as possible holding a loaded tray without spilling its contents. The general principle of a waiters race, a course des garçons de caféas they say in French, is simple: the waiters usually dressed with a white shirt and black pants and walk as quickly as possible while carrying a tray. Most of the time, the tray is placed with various objects such as glasses and bottles, and must be held with only one hand. The first waiter to cross the last line with the tray and all its content is declared the winner.

Portland, July 13th 2013. It was three laps around Director Park to claim a top prizes in the waiters race, or course des garçons de caféas. Experienced waiters raced while holding a tray of glasses and tried not to spill a drop. The race was one of the highlights of Portland’s 11th Annual Bastille festivities. It was organized by the nonprofit Alliance Française de Portland and is the largest Bastille celebration on the West Coast.

The winners of the 9th Annual Waiter's Race, La Course Des Garcons De Cafe were Michael Cook from the Chart House and Kristen Samuelson from Ruth Chris

The winner of the 9th Annual Waiter’s Race in the men’s category was Michael Cook from the Chart House and the women’s category winner was Kristen Samuelson from Ruth Chris. Each won $250.

C’est Si Bon! Crepes had the longest line of all of the food vendors.

Marie-Pierre Wolfe, Linda Witt the Executive Director of Alliance Francaise, Leslie Averill

Portlanders tried their hand at French phrases beyond Bonjour, like “À cœur vaillant rien d’impossible.” Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

Salad Nicoise

almond croissant.

Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th’s Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king’s power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.