Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
March 02, 1999
Something for everyone at College Royal 1999
The 75th annual College Royal will be held at the University of Guelph March 13 and 14, and organizers boast the 1999 public open house will be the best ever.
"This year's College Royal displays and events will be bigger and better than ever before to celebrate the 75th anniversary," says Mark Nibourg, College Royal president. " Every committee has made an effort to have something going on in every building, every day. There will be something for every interest, to excite the mind and stimulate the senses of the young and old."
The first College Royal was held in January 1925 with individual students showing college livestock, while student clubs entered exhibits in horticulture, dairy, poultry and agronomy. The open house soon attracted off-campus spectators, and by 1936, College Royal was a two-day show, complete with guest speakers, skits and competitions in everything from sheep shearing and cow milking to potato peeling and trouser patching.
The 1999 College Royal begins at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday, with evening events including a square dance competition on Saturday. A lecture series also will be held both days, with topics including herbal renaissance, the economic and currency crisis and biotechnology. Children's events include colouring, puppet and magic shows, games, face painting and interactive displays.
Other highlights include cat and dog shows, a square dance competition, a photography contest, logging and tug-of-war competitions, a spelling bee, live animal surgery and a livestock show.
College Royal is today the largest student-run open house at any Canadian university and draws 20,000 visitors each year.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs, (519) 824-4120 Ext. 3338.
