On June 14, the Hancock Town Library will co-sponsor an event with a Hancock-based French conversation group and the GEP Dodge Library in Bennington.

The event will be a Zoom presentation by author David Vermette about French-Canadians in New England. Vermette recently released a book on the subject, and has conducted similar events in the area. 

“Other librarians have used him and liked him,” said Hancock Town Library Director Amy Markus, who said Vermette was recommended to her by a librarian in Nashua.

Helene Bickford, a second generation Canadian-American who grew up in Berlin, runs the French conversation group. She started the group over four years ago, after attending a similar conversation group in Manchester.

“I would drive an hour and sometimes other people would come, so I thought, ‘Why not try it here in Hancock?’” she said.

Bickford grew up speaking the language in a Berlin, which has a large French-Canadian population. She said that in addition to French-speaking Canadians, there were also significant Scandinavian and Russian populations in the town. 

“My grandmother never really learned to speak English – she didn’t have to,” Bickford said. “She could go downtown to the bank and the stores and speak only French.”

Although Hancock may not have as many French speakers as Berlin, the population is still significant, leading to the success of the conversation group. 

“It’s amazing how many people speak fluently even just in Hancock,” Bickford said. “I didn’t expect it, and I was thrilled.”

The conversation group meets on Zoom on the second Tuesday of every month from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and in person at the Hancock Town Library on the third Tuesday of every month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. 

“It’s been very successful,” Markus said.

Bickford attributes the volume of French speakers to a determination for French-Canadians to speak their language. 

“Think of Quebec province; they’ve been English since the 1700s, but they want to keep the language alive. They have a will to speak the language,” she said.

The conversation group is open to people in all levels of learning, as well as all dialect backgrounds. According to Bickford, there are even people in their first year of French classes at school.

“It’s a chance to listen and practice. We’re there to help people. Beginners are more than welcome,” Bickford said. 

Additionally, Bickford said that although the group tries to stick to standard French for accessibility, multiple dialects are represented, including French spoken in Paris, Quèbècois and Haitian Creole. 

“We’ve had people from all over,” Bickford said.

Bickford and Markus hope that the event with Vermette will be an opportunity for people in the area to learn about French-Canadian culture, even if they aren’t French-Canadian themselves.

“It’s a piece of New England history,” Markus said.