Lava ran down the side of the cliff, and rocks began to crumble into the gorge. Behind the rubble, a glowing hidden chamber revealed itself to the enthralled crowd. Inside it danced a young woman surrounded by fairies. Then the rocks realigned themselves again into a normal cliffside, one among many in the Eastern Townships of Québec. The nighttime crowd moved on, having believed in this digitally projected scene, at least for the moment. No, no one is shooting a new J.K. Rowling film just across the border. Parc de la Gorge in Coaticook, a public park where visitors can hike on trails during the day, transforms at night into Foresta Lumina, an electrified, enchanted fairyland that offers a mystical, interactive wooded experience. The 4-year-old attraction is about 25 miles northeast of the crossing between Derby Line, Vt., and Stanstead, Que., where my friend and I heard from a border agent that the park was magnificent. We arrived early to see what Coaticook, population 9,000, had to offer in the way of food and drink. After an afternoon stroll through downtown, where we saw children hula-hooping and bouncing on an inflatable dragon in the closed-off streets, we began the evening at Microbrasserie Coaticook, a microbrewery down the road from Foresta Lumina. The blond ale brewed with ginger was refreshing on a warm summer evening — not too heavy on the ginger, with a pleasing tartness and bitterness from lime peels. The amber ale, brewed with rye, was medium-bodied and distinct, its subtle clove well balanced with its buckwheat honey flavor. We shared a generous plateau délices à partager, which consisted of two big sausages, mild Coaticook cheddar, onion confit, pita and accoutrements. At $16 — Canadian, of course — it was enough for two. We arrived at the park after dusk, around 8:30 p.m. At the entrance of Foresta Lumina hang dozens of lanterns wrapped in what appear to be sticks. Bilingual signs introduce the characters from the fictional narrative that runs through the park: fairies and a forest spirit (good), "the creature" (not good), the thunder, and, in case you were missing the big villain of previous eras, the devil. We were given the opportunity to whisper our wishes to the fairies through a special horn. That was a little too gimmicky for me, but not for many of the children who made up a substantial part…
Lava ran down the side of the cliff, and rocks began to crumble into the gorge. Behind the rubble, a glowing hidden chamber revealed itself to the enthralled crowd. Inside it danced a young woman surrounded by fairies. Then the rocks realigned themselves again into a normal cliffside, one among many in the Eastern Townships of Québec. The nighttime crowd moved on, having believed in this digitally projected scene, at least for the moment. No, no one is shooting a new J.K. Rowling film just across the border. Parc de la Gorge in Coaticook, a public park where visitors can hike on trails during the day, transforms at night into Foresta Lumina, an electrified, enchanted fairyland that offers a mystical, interactive wooded experience. The 4-year-old attraction is about 25 miles northeast of the crossing between Derby Line, Vt., and Stanstead, Que., where my friend and I heard from a border agent that the park was magnificent. We arrived early to see what Coaticook, population 9,000, had to offer in the way of food and drink. After an afternoon stroll through downtown, where we saw children hula-hooping and bouncing on an inflatable dragon in the closed-off streets, we began the evening at Microbrasserie Coaticook, a microbrewery down the road from Foresta Lumina. The blond ale brewed with ginger was refreshing on a warm summer evening — not too heavy on the ginger, with a pleasing tartness and bitterness from lime peels. The amber ale, brewed with rye, was medium-bodied and distinct, its subtle clove well balanced with its buckwheat honey flavor. We shared a generous plateau délices à partager, which consisted of two big sausages, mild Coaticook cheddar, onion confit, pita and accoutrements. At $16 — Canadian, of course — it was enough for two. We arrived at the park after dusk, around 8:30 p.m. At the entrance of Foresta Lumina hang dozens of lanterns wrapped in what appear to be sticks. Bilingual signs introduce the characters from the fictional narrative that runs through the park: fairies and a forest spirit (good), "the creature" (not good), the thunder, and, in case you were missing the big villain of previous eras, the devil. We were given the opportunity to whisper our wishes to the fairies through a special horn. That was a little too gimmicky for me, but not for many of the children who made up a substantial part…