The third annual Provincial Heritage Fair will take place Friday, May 22 at the UPEI Fieldhouse from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Approximately 2,000 students, teachers and volunteers will participate in the Fair which encourages children in grades four to nine to explore their heritage.
"The Provincial Heritage Fair allows us to see the culture and heritage of our country through the eyes of our youth," says Chester Gillan, Minister of Education and minister responsible for culture and heritage. "It also gives students an opportunity to better appreciate their culture, to gain a greater interest in the history of our country and to increase their pride and identity."
The primary focus of the Fair is to encourage students to use any medium of their choice to tell stories and share information about Canadian heroes, events and lifestyles of the past and to provide a venue for students to present the results of their efforts to the community.
An E-Fair, Electronic Fair, is a component of this year's Heritage Fair which is expected to draw a lot of interest. The E-Fair will provide students with access to other CRB (Charles R. Bronfman) Heritage Fairs being held across Canada at the same time. It also includes on-line contests, chats with historical figures and a virtual magazine where students can post articles and view contributions from other students across the country.
Fifteen Island students will be selected at the provincial fair to attend the National Heritage Fair in St. Boniface, Manitoba, July 4-9.
The P.E.I. Heritage Fair is sponsored by the P.E.I. Department of Education, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and The CRB Foundation's Heritage Project which is well-known for producing the Heritage Minutes, seen on major Canadian television networks and in movie theatres across the country.