Festival, slated for Memorial Day weekend, has grown considerably bigger
and better thanks to new activities, merchants, music, vendors and
sponsors. The latest addition to the schedule is a Planetarium show
11:00am to 8pm Saturday, May 27th, entitled "Immersive Tours of the
Universe." According to the show's producers, audience members will be
able to "fly anywhere in the Universe, from the surface of the Earth to
farthest galaxies." The portable digital dome theater allows
participants to become immersed in moving imagery, that provides an
awe-inspiring journey through NASA's astronomical data. The producers
promise a show viewers will never forget. A major portion of the cost of
the show is being underwritten by Steve Owen & Associates, a major
sponsor of this year's White Squirrel Festival. The inflatable dome will
be housed in the old upstairs gymnasium on the same floor as the
downtown Steve Owen & Associates offices. The 26 foot ceiling space
allows ample room for the dome to be inflated, as well as seating space
for those waiting in line.
In addition Animalogic will be on hand with a variety of exotic animals.
Animalogic is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children
and informing the community regarding exotic and native animal
conservation, biology, ecology, environmental and other animal sciences.
Their goal is to utilize live "animal ambassadors" as educators. In
addition to public appearances such as The White Squirrel Festival,
these animal ambassadors also travel to special needs children and
retirement homes for touch therapy.
A third new element is the White Squirrel Kid's Village, which will be
staffed by volunteers from the Brevard High School Band Parent's
Association. The Village will have carnival type games to play where
children of all ages will be able to win tickets in exchange for prizes.
While the Animalogic display is free, there will be a nominal charge
both the Planetarium and the White Squirrel Village to help defray
costs.
"Our goal is to provide a low cost, interactive, family-friendly venue
this year that will be a real treat for for residents and visitors from
age 3 to 93," states Madrid Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Heart
of Brevard, the nonprofit downtown development organization backing the
event. "We're thrilled to have these new venues, which will only add to
the two days of non-stop live music, from nationally recognized bands."
The event is estimated to attract between 12,000 to 15,000 visitors, or
almost twice the population of the town itself. "We're already getting
reports from vendors that they can't find hotel space anywhere in
Transylvania County," reports Phil Davis, one of the event coordinators.
"I think some of the folks in town may just want to plan on staying this
Memorial Day weekend," Davis continues, "since the two days of music
alone would be a $50 ticket anywhere else." Most of the funding for the
event comes from the festival's major sponsors which include Steve Owen
& Associates, Asheville Regional Airport, Transylvania Community
Hospital, Wachovia, Wal-mart, State Farm, Yellow Book, United Community
Bank, The White Squirrel Shoppe, Al Platt, The City of Brevard, and the
Transylvania Tourist Development Association.
Those interested in obtaining the latest information on the festival,
including the most recent updates to the music and activities schedules,
are asked to visit http://WhiteSquirrelFestival.com.
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Press Contact: Madrid Zimmerman
Company Name: Heart of Brevard
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 828-884-3278
Website: http://WhiteSquirrelFestival.com
AndhraNews.net News for May 8, 2006