May 18 and 19: Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair brings the past to life

The Group of Seven, River Log Drivers, Haunted Sudbury and The War of 1812. These are some of the many projects that will be on display at the 20th Annual Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19, 2016 at Laurentian University in Sudbury. The community is invited to view the projects in the Alumni Hall from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm on May 18th. Admission is free.

Close to 600 Rainbow elementary students from Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin will attend the exhibition and heritage celebration. In addition to student projects, the event will feature local displays, workshops and live performances by local singer Duncan Cameron.

“The Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair gives youth an opportunity to investigate, discover and creatively capture history,” says Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board. “Students will share stories of their family and community, which will result in an impressive showcase of our local culture and Canadian heritage.”

Over the past 20 years, student presentations have been as varied as the number of participants, drawing on a wide range of creative project formats, including dramatic and musical presentations, videos, posters, maps, essays, and 3-D displays, often with props and costumes.

The Heritage Fair Awards Ceremony will take place at Laurentian University’s Fraser Auditorium on Thursday, May 19, 2016 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Parents and guardians are welcome to join their children. Admission is free.

A number of special awards will be presented at the Awards Ceremony, including Canada’s National History Society Award, the Ontario Heritage Fairs Association Founders’ Award in recognition of exceptional enthusiasm and dedication to history and heritage; the Ontario Heritage Fairs Association Multicultural Award in recognition of excellent student achievement in research that exemplifies the diverse culture of Ontario; the Archives of Ontario Award; the Ontario Genealogical Society Award; the Ontario Historical Society Award and the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers Award. New this year is the Young Historian Award in memory of Shirley O’Neil, founder of the local Heritage Fair. The award is in recognition of excellence with a focus on local or family history.

Judges will select two projects from the local fair to be showcased at the Provincial Heritage Fair at the University of Toronto on June 11 and 12, 2016.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.