Festival coincides with Science Rendezvous, Toronto’s premier science and technology event
TORONTO, May 7, 2009 – On Saturday, May 9, York University’s Keele and Glendon campuses will throw open their doors for a day-long community festival marking York’s 50th anniversary.
This free public event is suitable for all ages, with activities designed to engage and entertain members of York’s community and its surrounding neighbourhoods.
From noon to 5pm, the festival will host family-oriented activities, arts and crafts, exhibits and displays, international food, talks and tours.
The program includes a number of signature events including Science Rendezvous and activities hosted by Tennis Canada. Evening performances hosted by York alumni, Breakfast Television’s Dina Pugliese and CBC weatherman Nick Czernkovich, will begin at 5pm. The Keele campus outdoor main stage will feature local and renowned talents, including a surprise performance from a Juno Award-winning R & B artist. The day’s activities will be capped by a fireworks finale on the Keele campus at 10:15pm.
For more information and a full festival program, visit the York U50 Community Festival web site. The following is a sampling of some of the many activities planned for the York Community Festival and Science Rendezvous:
Keele Campus - Noon to 5 pm:
Black Creek Water Walk & Exhibit - 1:30pm.
The Black Creek Storytelling Parade is a performance that follows the route of storm water from York’s Keele campus to the banks of Black Creek. The parade will include storytellers in costume, music and art.
Fine Arts Fun - 1:30 to 3:30pm.
Workshops for ages 13 to 17 in theatre, dance, or expressive movement for the stage. Participants can try the Caribbean steel pans or a vocal workshop in gospel music. Physical theatre workshops 1:30 and 3:30pm; Voice for Actors Workshop 3:30pm; Steel Pans Workshop 1:30pm; Gospel Music Workshop 3:30pm; Dance Workshop 3:30pm.; Dance Rehearsal Demo 1:30pm.
Nursing Resource Centre - Tours start at 12:30pm and run each hour at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30pm.
Guided tours of the Nursing Resource Centre (NRC), including a simulated hospital environment that has been created to support nursing students with their clinical skill development. The NRC houses medical surgical beds, a pediatric "unit", an isolation room, and a birthing suite equipped with "Sim Man" mannequins. The centre also holds a collection of anatomical training models, Virtual IV and the necessary medical equipment and supplies to provide students with an amazing environment for their on-campus clinical learning.
Mars Rover Team Demonstration – 1 to 5pm.
As part of Science Rendezvous, the team will demonstrate its two Mars rover prototypes that will compete in the annual International University Rover Challenge later this month. The competition encourages university students to design, innovate and engineer remote-controlled Mars rover prototypes that could be considered the next generation in interplanetary robotic technology.
York University Greenhouse Open House – 12 to 5:00pm.
As part of Science Rendezvous, participants will be able to try their hands at plant dissections and see how different plant root systems develop and spread through soil in search for water.
Sport and Recreation Showcase – 12:30 to 3pm.
A day-long program of basketball, fit breaks, skill showcases and interactive demonstrations in salsa, belly, muay thai and tai chi. Bench press world champion, Alex Mardell, will demonstrate bench press power lifting and a vertical jump competition will take place in the Tait McKenzie Fitness Centre. A half-time show will include: a hip hop dance showcase, a tug of war where spectators compete against the York Football team and a foul shot competition between the York Lions’ mascots and the Toronto Raptors’ mascot. Members of the Toronto Argonauts will be on hand to sign autographs. Basketball game 3pm.; half-time show 4pm; showcases and interactive demonstrations 12:30 to 3pm.
Tennis Canada Activities – Noon to 5pm.
Participants will be given the opportunity to learn to play tennis with the help of local coaches, do fitness testing, and participate in a tour of the world-class Rexall Centre on York’s Keele campus. Tennis enthusiasts can have their picture taken on centre court and visit the championship locker room were stars such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams have prepared for the Rogers Cup.
For more information about parking and for Festival entrance points, please visit http://www.yorku50.ca/festival/register.html or visit the event Facebook page.
Event location information will be available at registration.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 26 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Media contact:
Keith Marnoch, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22091 / marnoch@yorku.ca
On-site cell (416) 455-4710
