May 8 and 9: Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair brings the past to life

Sudbury Wolves, Sudbury Ukrainian Church, Iroquois Village, Laurentian Lake Conservation Area and The Big Nickel.  These are some of the many projects that will be on display at the 19th Annual Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair on Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th, 2014 at Laurentian University in Sudbury. The community is invited to view the projects in the Alumni Hall in the Fraser Building from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Admission is free.

Close to 500 elementary students from Sudbury and Espanola will attend the exhibition and award celebration. In addition to student projects, the event will feature local displays, workshops and live performances by Andrew Lowe.

The Sudbury Regional 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, Topper’s Pizza, Club Montessori of Sudbury and the City of Greater Sudbury.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is another key community partner who made this year’s Heritage Fair a reality. “We commend OPG for recognizing the importance of preserving history at the local level and thank them for their support,” said Chantal Lacroix, Chair of the Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair Organizing Committee. She added: “The Heritage Fair gives our youth an opportunity to research, discover and creatively capture history. Students will share stories of their family and community, which will result in a spectacular showcase of our local culture and Canadian heritage."

“Electricity has been powering the city of Sudbury for over 100 years and has played an important role in the growth of the local mining industry and in the prosperity and comfort of local Sudburians as they use electricity in their everyday lives,” said Jeff Fournier, Ontario Power Generation’s Public Affairs Officer. "We’re especially proud of our hydroelectric heritage in the Sudbury area which dates back to the early days of the 20th Century and our predecessor, the Hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario. We are happy to support the students who will be displaying their projects on Canada’s heritage at the 2014 Sudbury Regional Heritage Fair.”

Over the past 17 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 the same day as the Fair, Friday May 9th, 2014 from 12:30 pm to 1:45 pm. The public is welcome to attend. 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. 

Judges will select three projects from the local fair to be showcased at the Provincial Heritage Fair in Toronto on June 14 and 15, 2014.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,

Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,

Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.