An invitation to come by bike and discover the amazing world of parc
Jean-Drapeau!

MONTREAL, June 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Parc Jean-Drapeau is issuing an invitation to the entire population to its Discovery Day on Your Bike!, an event being held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. Everyone is invited to come to the Parc with family and friends, by bike, in-line skates or simply on foot, along a route especially set up for the occasion, which will enable people to discover all of the many activities the Parc has to offer.

"Two days before the official start of summer, this great gathering of people will be a wonderful opportunity for the population to get the summer season underway by discovering a truly marvellous site, just minutes from downtown Montreal," remarked Société du parc Jean-Drapeau spokesperson Nathalie Lessard. "Discovery Day on Your Bike provides a great chance to see the Parc's array of attractions, acquire some information, and mainly get to know this terrific site and its top-notch facilities, linked by a network of easily accessible bike trails."

The bike round, which is about 10 kilometres long, will feature 10 different points of interest: the beach, the Olympic Basin, the Floralies gardens with Radio-Classique CJPX-FM live on site, the Aquatic Complex, the river shuttle, the Environment Canada's Biosphere, the Stewart Museum, La Ronde, the Napa Auto parts 200 presented by Dodge garages and L'Espace Aérodium will be welcoming visitors at their information booths. Meanwhile, near the Jean-Drapeau subway entrance, people will have the possibility to visit the kiosks of evenko and Parc Jean-Drapeau, each displaying the shows or events they will be offering this year. At Parc Jean-Drapeau, the events are: Les Week-ends du Monde, La Fête des enfants de Montréal and La Fête des Neiges.

An activity-filled program awaits visitors on this special day, which also includes the presence of Discovery Day spokesperson, comedian Yan England, and the Parc's mascot Boule de Neige, who will be decked out in summer garb. Both personalities will be on hand to welcome the public. Visitors can also have a picnic in areas that will be set up for this purpose.

Reception, passport and free ticket

Two reception centres will be set up for the event: one at Place Jean-Drapeau, near the Jean-Drapeau subway entrance, and another at the intersection of the bike link towards the South Shore on île Notre-Dame.

Upon their arrival, visitors will be given a passport on which the various points of interest will be depicted. An attendant will punch the passport to validate the person's visit at each of these locations. Once there are six such punches on the passport, the visitor, upon handing in the passport at one of the reception centres, will be entitled to a free ticket for the beach or the Aquatic Complex, valid for a future visit.

All roads lead to Parc Jean-Drapeau!

Parc Jean-Drapeau is easily accessible by subway - the Jean-Drapeau stop - the river shuttle to île Sainte-Hélène from Montreal Old Port, the de la Concorde Bridge, the South Shore bike link and the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Visitors can also rent Bixi bikes on site.

The Société du parc Jean-Drapeau's mission is to manage, administrate, develop, preserve and animate Parc Jean-Drapeau. For full details about Discovery Day on Your Bike, please go to the Parc website at www.parcjeandrapeau.com.

For further information: Nathalie Lessard, Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, [phone], [email protected]; François Cartier, Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, [phone], [email protected]