May 7 – 8: Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair brings the past to life

Fast Facts –
2,400 students –
93 classes –
180 projects –
35 different workshop presenters –
130 workshops in total

The Jeno Tihanyi Olympic Gold Pool, St. Stanislaus Church, the history of ringette and lacrosse. These are just a handful of the many projects visitors will have an opportunity to see on Thursday, May 7th and Friday, May 8th, 2009 at the Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair, which takes place at Laurentian University. This year, close to 2,400 elementary and secondary school students from Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin will attend the two-day exhibition and cultural celebration, making the Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair one of the largest in Canada.

The event will feature student projects, local displays, workshops and live performances, including groups from the Sudbury Multicultural Folks Arts Association. "The HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair, a showcase of our community and country’s rich heritage, gives the youth of today an opportunity to research, discover and creatively capture history and bring the past to life," says Lona Dabous, Chair of the Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair Organizing Committee. "Once again this year, students will enthusiastically engage in telling the stories of their family and community. The result is a spectacular showcase of our local culture and heritage."

The local fair offers students the opportunity to explore the many aspects of their Canadian heritage in a dynamic learning environment and to present the results of their efforts in a public exhibition. Over the years, student presentations have been as varied as the number of participants, drawing on a variety of creative project formats, including dramatic and musical presentations, videos, posters, maps, essays, and 3-D displays, often with props and costumes.

Selected projects from the Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair will be announced at an awards ceremony the following week.  A number of special awards will be presented, including the Honourable Laurier LaPierre O.C. Medal in recognition of exceptional enthusiasm and dedication to history and heritage; the RBC Foundation Award for the Celebration of Aboriginal Heritage in recognition of outstanding achievement in celebrating an aspect of Aboriginal history, heritage, or culture; the CN Veterans Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in honouring the contributions and sacrifices of our veterans; the Archives of Ontario Award and the Ontario Genealogical Society Award.

Several projects will be selected for the Provincial HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair, to be held in Ottawa from June 10th to 14th, 2009 and the National HISTOR!CA Fair, also in Ottawa, from July 7th  to 13th, 2009.

The public is invited to attend the Historica Heritage Fair opening event on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at Laurentian University’s Fraser Auditorium. Student presentations and cultural performances will take place from 6 pm to 8 pm. The public will be able to view the student projects after these performances, from 8 pm to 9 pm in the Great Hall. The community is also invited to view the projects on Friday, May 8th, 2009 in the Great Hall from 11 am to 1 pm. Admission is free for both days.

The Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair is a community event organized and sponsored in partnership with a number of local organizations, including the Rainbow District School Board, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, Laurentian University, the City of Greater Sudbury, The Sudbury Star and the Sudbury Multicultural Folk Arts Association.

Learn more about this year’s local Heritage Fair by visiting: http://www.sudburyheritagefair-historica.ca/

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Media Contact:

Lona Dabous, Chair,

Sudbury Regional HISTOR!CA Heritage Fair, 705-522-3171.