Bay Harbour: September 11, 2019

PAGE 8 BAY HARBOUR
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday September 11 2019
News
START UP: Tara Blackmore, Meghan Kerr and Eileen Prasad’s
business PopCoin has been recognised in a regional enterprise
competition.
Akaroa event
co-ordinator
Jane Scribner
previews one
of the town’s
biggest
celebrations,
FrenchFest,
which will
run from October 11-13 ​
IT IS JUST one month until
residents and visitors can
immerse themselves in French
culture, history, entertainment
and romance at Akaroa’s unique
FrenchFest.
A traditional Maori powhiri
will open the festival on Friday.
Then settle in and relax with
some seaside dining on Beach
Rd and watch the waterfront
come alive with entertainment
and music, featuring the bands
Mundi and Dangerbaby.
Early on Saturday morning,
watch the theatrical history reenactment
of The Landing on the
main beach.
It will tell the history and
stories of the many and varied
intrepid souls who travelled
far and wide to make Banks
Peninsula their home. It portrays
the lead up to the arrival of The
Comte de Paris in 1840, bringing
59 French and German settlers to
Akaroa.
Stories are told of these first
encounters; of local iwi, the
whalers, trading sailors and
the first farmers who set up in
Akaroa.
The characters will be played
by local community members,
with some playing their own
ancestors. They will tell these
stories in a lively, historically
accurate, fun, immersive and
audience inclusive way.
Aided by the professional
support of actors Michael Hurst,
Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Nathan
Bonner and The Wellington Sea
Shanty Society, this performance
was widely acclaimed as “the best
ever” in 2017.
The Landing will be followed
by a parade to the Akaroa
Recreation Ground.
The official part of the
Business is popping for
Meghan and her friends
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
REDCLIFFS’ Meghan Kerr is
making her mark in the popcorn
business.
She was one of four
Linwood College students to
be recognised in a regional
enterprise competition for their
product PopCoin.
It was named the winner
of the Canterbury Young
Enterprise Product launch,
which was sponsored by the Ara
Institute of Canterbury.
The business, which creates
freshly-flavoured popcorn
was founded by the year 13
students – Meghan, and Eileen
Prasad and Arnie Ferreras,
of Riccarton, as well as New
Brighton’s Tara Blackmore.
The idea was formed
programme will commence with
speeches and the official flagraising
before Le Jour du Marché
(Market Day) will be held with
French-inspired stalls, games,
food, entertainment and live
music all day.
Iconic events like the Waiters’
Race and Cock Crowing
competition will delight.
On Saturday evening, there
will be a ticketed cabaret which
is not to be missed. Enjoy
an incredible array of music
and entertainment with an
enchanting French flavour all
night. Delight in the thrilling
performances from Bonita
Danger Doll, Jason Kerrison, The
Wellington Sea Shanty Society,
Nicola Són (the most Brazilian
of the French bands all the way
from France), Corner Sounds
and more.
Sunday will see a Circotica
Circus workshop for the
children, plus a circus
performance to close FrenchFest
2019.
•For more information, visit
www.FrenchFest.co.nz
after the students took part
in the national Young Enterprise
scheme – a programme aimed
at inspiring young people to
become involved in business.
As part of the scheme, their
challenge was to create a
business idea. The students were
debating between a salad bowl
or popcorn.
After undertaking research,
they found there was a demand
for popcorn.
The students have made $100
in the four months since the
business has been running stalls.
They have stalls at ARA, the
New Brighton Seaside Market
and the Riccarton Sunday
Market.
The flavours the students have
created include savoury herb and
cheese, salted caramel, chocolate
popcorn and caramel banana.
“We as a group have got a lot
of interest in making food so
we used our own knowledge
and came up with the flavours,”
Eileen said.
Each student plays an
important role in the
business with Arnie as the
finance manager, Tara as the
communication and marketing
manager and Meghan as the
production manager.
Social studies teacher Richard
Jolly said the product has been
so well-crafted they have sold
out every time they have gone
to market. The quirky name for
the business emerged after the
students were joking around
about the term “popcoin” which
featured in a children’s cartoon
called The Big Lez Show.
History comes alive at Akaroa’s FrenchFest
HISTORIC TALES: One of the main attractions at FrenchFest will
be The Landing, a theatrical re-enactment that tells the stories
of Banks Peninsula settlers.
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