Yes, today is all about the Comice 2025, the 150th in the Baugeois, and held at Fougeré - well done to all involved! It is a pretty intense period in the area, with many involved as volunteers or doing something (selling things, participating in games or the procession, being seen). It can be up to 10 days preparing the site, which extends over several tens of hectares, and then a couple of intense days getting everything down again. But it is worth it!
We went to view the site on the Saturday - it was a really big venue.
[stalls and stages]
For the intensive gardener there were some awfully nice toys to look at.
smaller tools]
While for the farmer, there was machine porn.
While the main competitive activity for the weekend is ploughing matches, serious and closely fought, including the departmental challenge, for others there are the Intervillage Games, a sort of It's a Knockout, this year including wheelbarrows and solex motorised bikes.
intervillage games]
On the Sunday, the morning is devoted to old tractors and even more ploughing matches, while the afternoon is the time of the procession of decorated floats. Each village is invited to send along a float - there were a few missing this year, particularly among the really tiny villages, but as hosts, Fougeré had 3 floats, so it was quite a sight. As ever, the procession was led off by the Cadets de Baugeois, a well thought of local brass combo.
The first of the floats was Baugé, as they will be hosting the Comice next year. The theme overall was Retro, and more specifically, Comices of yesteryear (that message didn't get transmitted all that well). One of the stars of this float was a little old "lady", sadly not visible on the photo.
Then came Vaulandry, who hosted last year (it's quite a protocol for the order of the floats). They recycled a favourite float with the chateau of Turbilly, home of the Lord who started the Comice movement in the area, so very appropriate.
Then we had the first of Fougeré's floats, celebrating the 6 hour Solex marathon races they used to hold in the village. There were quite a few Solex outriders, but they didn't fit in this photo and as it is taking 5 minutes to get every photo in, I'm not going totally mad with it all!
Cuon came next with one of a few takes on kitchens and living rooms, but with a very fine central fireplace.
4 Cuon]
Bocé celebrated its Viking roots.
5 Boce]
Pontigné had a most excellent school room complete with unruly young pupils and a teacher with attitude and a pipe.
Fougeré's second float was supplied by a local gardening club, the Grenadiers, complete with forced labour from convicts, soldiers and ladies in nice, Empire line frocks.
7 Fougere]
We were next, from le Vieil Baugé, with our very old style kitchen, the classiest tractor, which had to be wound up to start, and four cackling biddies around a table, drinking and playing silly games.
Following us was St Martin d'Arcé, with a fine look at dinosaurs and Asterix - I think that was a nod to floats of the past.
Cheviré le Rouge also reprised old floats, including their somewhat disturbing Bois de Boulogne from last year, and also did a lot of drumming.
Le Guedenieu celebrated the boulangeries of the past, which may or may not be related to either that they celebrate a giant croissant every year, or that they have a new baker in the village.
Echimiré came next - another fireplace and kitchen table, this time with people playing cards. A tiny, but naughty, note was the half burnt cheque for 28,000 euros in the fireplace. The profits from the 2021
This took 2 hours. I did another hour or so, and all that is lost. I've things to do today, so you are stuck with this and no more for the day.
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