Premier Pat Binns today announced that the Provincial Heritage Fair will take place at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown on Friday, May 9, 2003.
"Islanders are proud of their heritage and it is great to see so much enthusiasm and excitement around the fair," said Premier Pat Binns. "It is important that young Islanders have an appreciation of the past and I encourage everyone to visit the fair to learn more about their culture and heritage from these students."
"The Provincial Heritage Fair provides youth with an opportunity to discover the culture and heritage that make this province and this nation unique," said the Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs. "I am extremely proud that the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has taken a leadership role in coordinating this fair and on behalf of the organizing committee, extend an invitation to all."
The fair will feature 300 students from grades 5 to 9, each with a project designed to appreciate and honour a part of the rich heritage that exists in PEI and in Canada. Each project had to qualify for the provincial fair by entering at the school level, which included some 30 schools and approximately 3,100 students. Fifteen students will be selected from the provincial fair to represent PEI at the National Heritage Fair later this year in Sudbury, Ontario.
Students participating in the Heritage Fair will also have the opportunity to attend cultural and heritage-based workshops which are being delivered by the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and the Wyatt Heritage Properties.
Members of the public are invited to visit the Provincial Heritage Fair on Friday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Provincial Heritage Fair is coordinated by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Historica Foundation, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Department of Education and the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation.