Canada Day next week: volunteers welcome

by Brittany Stacey, Communications and Public Affairs

In a little over two weeks, a spectacular fireworks display will light the sky over the university’s north campus in celebration of Canada Day. This year marks the 27th annual University of Waterloo Canada Day Celebrations — a student-led event jointly hosted by the University of Waterloo and the Federation of Students that draws the biggest crowds of the year to Waterloo’s campus.

The event will run from 2 to 11 p.m. on Friday, July 1. Organizers expect that more than 60,000 local community members will join the university community to celebrate Canada’s 144th birthday. The opening ceremonies — set to kick off at 6 pm — will include the singing of the national anthem and Happy Birthday, along with the passing out of free cupcakes.

Lisa Willan, event manager, and Sheena Stevens, administrative coordinator, are leading this year’s event and currently finalizing every last detail of the day with help from the steering committee — a group of more than 25 student volunteers who help manage children’s activities and entertainment, arts and crafts fair, music, staging, volunteers, operations, security and concessions. 

Activity World brings together organizations from the local community to provide educational and entertaining activities for children throughout the day. Most activities run from 2 to 8 p.m. Among this year’s activities:

• Fossil fish scavenger hunt and dinosaur puzzles by the university’s Earth Sciences Museum
• Recycling sorting game and toilet paper challenge by the Region of Waterloo Waste Management
• Canada Day wind-socks by the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
• Foil art with artist Scott McNichol by the Homer Watson House & Gallery
• Animal grossology exhibit craft by TheMuseum
• Telescope display, solar system model and Mars Rover display by the student Space Society
• Bike generator display and windmill turbine craft by STEP (Sustainable Technology Education Project)
• Super slime by Engineering Science Quest
• Energy producing bicycle and solar powered models by Waterloo Collegiate Institute’s e-team
• An array of arts and crafts activities by the Girl Guides of Canada, K-W Terry Fox Run, Rangers Street Team, and the university’s MathSoc and EngSoc groups

This year’s main stage performances include The Lines Between, Juice, AirPlay, Eddy Culjak, The Waterboys, Mahy Riad, Scotty James, The Guys, Secret Broadcast and Patrick Robitaille. Performers for the children’s stage include Waterloo Kung Fu, Shamuon Generation, UW Hip Hop Club, Acabellas and Highland Troupe.

Food vendors will, of course, serve Canada Day classics throughout the day — hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, nachos, cotton candy, popcorn, pretzels and pizza — but also gourmet baked-potatoes, Chinese dishes, and freshly squeezed juice.

The event will come to a close with the grand finale fireworks display starting at 10 p.m. Parking is free in all university lots.

As in previous years, volunteer opportunities exist for university and high school students, as well as members of the general public. Volunteers can be involved in many aspects of the day including children’s activities, stage crew, face painting, security, operations, information tent, glowstick sales, setup and take-down, and concessions. More information on volunteer opportunities can be found on the web site.

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Newcomers of 1986 honoured tomorrow

Faculty and staff members who first came to Waterloo in 1986 will be honoured tomorrow evening as the 25-Year Club holds its annual reception in the Physical Activities Complex. Tomorrow's Daily Bulletin will include a few words about the events of 1986 and the intervening quarter-century, and about the 25-Year Club, but meanwhile, here's a list of this year's honorees, as provided by the human resources department:

Tomorrow’s gala event, which starts at 6:00, will also honour some three dozen 35-year veterans who came to Waterloo in 1976 and are still serving as staff or faculty. Their names:

The 25-Year Club event is organized by the human resources department (information, ext. 32078).

CAR

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