Thousands turned out for the University of Guelph’s annual College Royal on March 17 and 18.
The event, now celebrating 88 years, grew from a half-day open house to a two-day campus experience that has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors to the university to date.
Approximately 1,000 students volunteer to make it a success.
The early spring weather helped make the weekend a busy one as the university opened doors to parts of the campus not regularly seen by the general public.
The free event gave visitors the option to explore the facilities using a map or guided school tours.
The family-friendly event included College Royal pasSports for children, who received stamps at various locations throughout the tour, allowing them to earn a mystery prize with the completion of the tour, that included venues such as Old MacDonald’s New Farm, the Teddy bear surgery ward in the Ontario Veterinary College building, and other events such as the dog and cat shows and the popular food science stop to make milk shakes.
Despite many line-ups, the event kept visitors intrigued with hands-on opportunities like environmental science and chemistry experiments, enjoying popcorn while learning about seeds, the livestock show and horticultural and even human anatomy lessons with real samples, for those who aren’t squeamish.
College Royal is an opportunity for the university to show the community, future students, donors and alumni who return with their families, the technology and continued research that guide the future of the school.
The university is looking for feedback on the event. A College Royal survey is online at www.collegeroyalsociety.com/send-feedback.html.
Next year’s event runs March 16 and 17.
