86th Annual College Royal Ready to Roll
March 12, 2010 - News Release
Dream Big, Dream Royal. That's the theme for this year's College Royal event at the University of Guelph March 20 to 21.
More than 30,000 people are expected to visit when U of G opens its doors to North America's largest student-run university open house.
"For those two days, we take over the whole campus to showcase everything that’s going on," said Amy Thomson, a DVM student who is this year’s president of College Royal. “College Royal may have started out as an Aggie event but it’s gone way beyond that now. There will be displays and activities from every department.”
Events include livestock shows, dog show, cat show, square dancing competition, a lecture series, logging competition, synchronized swimming demonstrations, art show, photography show and flower-arranging competition.
The weekend is full of kids’ events such as Old MacDonald’s New Farm, a chemistry magic show, face painting, a junior tractor rodeo, teddy bear surgery and food science milkshakes.
Visitors can also check out Curtain Call Productions’ performance of Reefer Madness.
“We’ve tried to build on our history and traditions by adding or expanding each year, and 2010 is no exception,” said Thomson.
One of the plans for this year is to make the campus more visitor-friendly by putting up large street signs to help guests orient themselves.
This year’s Open House will also see an expansion of the popular Pancake Flip contest, where teams of students gather in the University Centre courtyard to prepare a variety of pancakes – flavoured with fruit, Smarties and even pumpkin. The event will run both mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
“I think everyone will find something to enjoy, and something that will make you proud to be connected to the University,” says Thomson. “Tell your friends and family to come, too. I promise you’ll have fun.”
Complete schedules for the Open House weekend are available online.
For media questions, Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, Ext. 53338, l.hunt@exec.uoguelph.ca or Deirdre Healey, Ext. 56982, d.healey@exec.uoguelph.ca.
