Quebec City plans a festive celebration of its 400th

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec -- One wonders what Samuel de Champlain might have thought about the white-faced, mute provocateurs strolling the piers along the St. Lawrence River at "Esplace 400," the multimedia fair where this charming city's 400th anniversary is being celebrated.

Champlain stepped out of his boat July 3, 1608, on the gravely river shore at Kebec -- an Algonquin word meaning "place where the river narrows" -- to establish a trading post in the wilderness. It's unlikely he had any concept that France's first permanent settlement in North America would grow into a world-class metropolis with its own Franco-phonic flair.

Rather than being greeted by Algonquin warriors, that Gallic adventurer today would be misted by a mime with a water-spray bottle and have his lapels dusted off by a jolly minx wearing a lighted flowerpot on her head. The pixielike figures are here all summer to engage visitors to Quebec's Quadricentennial exhibits and musical performances.

Quebec City is the most European and third-oldest of North American cities. Its historic center is Old Town, declared a World Heritage site in 1985. It's divided into two parts: "Haute-Ville," the upper town; and "Basse-Ville," the low town.

Haute-Ville grew inside city walls around a citadel erected by the British army after it defeated French forces in an epic 1759 battle. After two centuries as the political and cultural capital of the province -- and for a time all of Canada -- the upper town is home to the city's most famous structures and dramatic views. The Chateau Frontenac, the imposing, green-turreted hotel that may be Canada's most celebrated architectural landmark, dominates them.

The Basse-Ville is situated on the river plain where Champlain first set up shop. Many of the rough stone buildings, dating from the early 17th and 18th centuries, have been lovingly restored into a vibrant enclave of small restaurants and quaint shops.

There are many dozens of historic buildings in Old Town, but not a single chain restaurant or brand-name boutique. It's among the attributes making this among North America's most agreeable smaller cities to visit almost any time of the year.

The center of festivities this summer is Espace 400, a riverside facility constructed on several piers in the Louise boat basin in the Old Port. Its Grand Square is the covered venue for free concerts, debates and performances every night until Sept. 28. Nearby, the Ephemeral Gardens feature 11 avant-garde gardens. Another high-concept creation is "Passagers/Passengers," a multimedia installation celebrating the lives and lineages of immigrants who've come over the past four centuries. It's set in an imaginary airport transit lounge inside a refurbished cement plant.

Finally, the "Image Mill" -- a 40-minute extravaganza of sound, images and video -- creates an impressionistic portrait of the city in four movements, one for each of its four centuries. Through July 29, it's being projected at sunset on 81 concrete grain silos, creating a screen nearly 2,000 feet long and 100 feet high -- reportedly the largest multimedia presentation ever shown.

Special festivities this week mark the actual dates of remembrance. On July 3, official ceremonies include a huge military parade and commemorative show, including a specially commissioned historical opera and a midnight fireworks extravaganza.

Quebec's favorite native chanteuse, Celine Dion, is scheduled to give a free concert Aug. 22. The performance will take place on the Plains of Abraham, the grassy park where the battle for control of Canada took place 249 years earlier.

The festivities will close Oct. 17-19 with special performances by the Cirque du Soleil. This vibrant international entertainment empire was born a few miles upriver from here 25 years ago and took root on these creative streets.

The city's cultural institutions also have special programs created around the event.

The primary art museum, the Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec, is hosting an exhibit of 274 items on loan from the Louvre in Paris. Titled "The Arts and Life," it spans works from ancient Egypt to the European Middle Ages. It's organized around four major themes: loving and dying; learning and making; dwelling and decorating; and celebrating and enjoying. It runs through Oct. 26.

And the Musee de la Civilization is hosting special exhibitions, including "Urbanopolis," an exploration of the future of cities.

But the star attraction is a dazzling new exhibit curated by the museum. "Gold in the Americas" examines the quest for this precious metal in the Western Hemisphere. It features 450 objects, from pre-Columbian jewelry to the actual gold nugget that James Marshall picked out of California's American River on Jan. 24, 1848, setting off the Gold Rush. Along with bullion and other items that sparkle and seduce, there's a special coin from the Canadian mint consisting of 250 pounds of 99.999 percent pure gold. Another section examines gold's utilitarian and industrial uses as well as mining's impact on the environment.

While Quebec's big birthday bash is attracting people to the city, one gets the sense that the major hoopla is for local citizens' benefit. Major infrastructure investments range from a magnificent new fountain in front of the Quebec Parliament building to a four-mile bike path along the St. Lawrence.

The clear message is that Quebec City is indeed a special place.

For details on 400th anniversary festivities, see http://www.myquebec2008.com/. For general travel information, see www.quebecregion.com. For the Museum of Civilization, see www.mcq.org. For the Museum of Fine Arts, see www.mnba.qc.ca.

(E-mail Post-Gazette travel editor David Bear at dbear(at)post-gazette.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)