Opah! SFU joins Greek Day celebration
Contacts: Stuart Colcleugh, PAMR, 604.291.3219
Maria Hamilton, Hellenic Studies, 604.291.5886, mhamilton@sfu.ca
The annual street party runs from 12-9 p.m. on West Broadway, between Blenheim and Macdonald, in the heart of old Greektown. It features two entertainment stages, a cooking tent, children’s area, Hellenic experience tent, street entertainers, food and a free evening concert.
SFU will be there for the first time with its own dedicated tent, informing the expected 80,000 participants at tables run by representatives of the Hellenic Studies, Humanities and History departments and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).
FASS dean John Pierce and program chair Andre Gerolymatos will also be on hand with local politicians and dignitaries for the official opening ceremonies at 2 p.m. on the main stage.
The SFU tent will include a large gaming wheel participants can spin to land on various categories in which they will be tested on their Greek and SFU “IQs” for various prizes. It’s also holding a grand prize draw for prizes including an SFU gift basket and an Ipod Nano.
Greek Day is being organized and sponsored in part by the by Hellenic Canadian Congress of B.C., which raised half of the original $1 million required to establish the first fully endowed Hellenic Studies chair in North America at SFU in the fall of 1996 .
SFU’s Hellenic Studies program works in conjunction with other university departments to offer courses in several disciplines at both the graduate and undergraduate level. It also collaborates with the SFU International office to offer a Hellenic Studies field school in Greece.