"Hotel • Auberge Sawyerville - Hébergement Bistro" says
the new sign on the window. And inside is a spanking new bar with stylish pale
grey walls and a mural that portrays the original Sawyerville House,
established in about 1864.
That makes the Sawyerville Hotel 150 years old this year.
And it's been nine years since jazz/blues musician Carole Vincelette and visual
artist France D'Amour bought it. Now big changes are afoot. Gone are the slot
machines, and gone is the smoke-blackened stuffed goose.
Two
Fridays ago, Vincelette and D'Amour entertained a jovial throng in the new bar.
In the corner, Graham played an 1894 Wentworth piano from Boston.
"It's a way to say
thank you to everyone who has been so kind to us," said Vincelette. "And for
local people, it's a point of pride, to know that Sawyerville still has an old
hotel like this. There are only a handful left in all of Quebec."
Coming soon is a full
bistro with Espresso coffee and healthful natural food. "Responsible food",
said Vincelette. "Local, as much as possible."
"More visitors are coming from Montreal, now, instead of
going to the more developed tourist areas", said D'Amour. "They come here
because it's less commercialized. We want to restore the hotel to its former
glory."
