AUGUSTA -- Le Festival de la Bastille means many things to many people.

Some say it's like a big high school reunion, where several decades worth of area graduates catch up with one another after many years apart. Others say it's the perfect place for a super-sized family reunion, providing a festive environment while allowing others to prepare the food and provide professional entertainment.

The founders' original intent was to celebrate Bastille Day, July 14, and there is no denying the event's roots are set deep in Franco-American heritage. It heartily celebrates that culture. However, it is much more, according to Le Club Calumet President Pat Boucher.

"I think it's something that everybody of all nationalities looks forward to," he said, noting it benefits the local economy and the whole city of Augusta. "It's a great event because it brings a lot of people to the area."

In the festival's heyday it brought as many as 10,000 people to the state's capital for a three-day weekend of eating, drinking, dancing and good family entertainment. With a huge 48-by-32-foot dance floor and live music, he described it as an old-fashioned festival.

"The people who are there are there for music, and entertainment, and the great food," Boucher said. Entertainment ranges from comedians and cloggers to musical acts from Canada.

Whole families plan their visits to Maine around the festival, and at times there have been between 60 and 90 members of the same family holding their reunions at the festival.

Boucher also noted city government supports the event, pointing out two members of the Augusta City Council, Pat Paradis and David Rollins, are members of Le Club Calumet, and Mayor Roger Katz is an honorary member.

Paradis said he always has attended the festival, and views it as an asset to Augusta.

"It's a really positive thing for the city, not just for the Calumet Club family," the city councilor said. "It brings people in from all around."

He compared it to the ultimate high school or family reunion.

"It has become like a family reunion for people in this area," Paradis said, noting people plan their visits to Maine from out of state based on the timing of the festival. It's also like a high school reunion for many, he said, but added, "imagine 50 years of classes together mingling."

But beyond the purely social aspect of the event, Paradis said it has a much deeper meaning to him and others in the Franco-American community.

"The other thing is the ethnic, cultural aspect of it," he said. "The music and food reminds us of our childhood."

Paradis said he believes it is critical for area families to celebrate their French heritage.

"It's a very important thing to keep the French identity," he said.