Media Advisory - TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay Celebrates in York Region on June 25

Pan Am flame to visit Lambert Willson Park for a day celebration, Royal Canadian Riding Academy in the afternoon and an evening celebration at Newmarket Riverwalk Commons

TORONTO, June 21, 2015 /CNW/ - On Thursday, June 25, Day 26 of the Pan Am Games Torch Relay, presented by President's Choice® and OLG, the Pan Am flame will visit Richmond Hill, Aurora, King City and Newmarket.

PACHI, the official mascot of the Games, and the Pan Am flame will kick off the day in Richmond Hill at Our Lady Help of Christians CES. Several more school stops will follow before the Pan Am flame heads to Aurora for the afternoon celebration at Lambert Willson Park, where Bruce Stafford will light the community cauldron. The afternoon will continue in King City when the torch relay visits King City Public School. The Pan Am flame will then visit the Royal Canadian Riding Academy in Cedar Valley before finishing the day in Newmarket. Donald Bond, the community torchbearer for Newmarket, will be the final torchbearer of the day and will light the community cauldron at the Newmarket Riverwalk Commons to signal the beginning of the evening celebration.

Thursday, June 25, 2015 (Relay Day 26: Richmond Hill, ON to Newmarket, ON)

Our Lady Help of Christians CES – 9:30 a.m. (ET) (275 Redstone Road, Richmond Hill)
Start of day celebration:

• PACHI presentation with students
• Elyssa Pullella, a student of Our Lady Help of Christians CES, will be the first torchbearer of Day 26

Dr. Bette Stephenson Centre for Learning – 11:40 a.m. (ET) (36 Regatta Avenue, Richmond Hill)
Photo opportunity:

• Trish Stratus, former professional wrestler and current television personality, will be arriving with the Pan Am flame

Lambert Willson Park – (135 Industrial Parkway North, Aurora)
Day celebration:

• Community torchbearer Bruce Stafford will arrive at 1 p.m. carrying the Pan Am flame and will light the cauldron
• Heather Swanton will depart the celebration carrying the Pan Am flame

King City Public School – 3 p.m. (ET) (25 King Boulevard, King City)
Photo opportunity:

• Community torchbearer Florence Belcher will enter the celebration with the Pan Am flame

Newmarket Riverwalk Commons – (ET) (Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket)
Evening celebration:

• Community torchbearer Donald Bond is the final torchbearer of Day 26 and will light the community cauldron at 7 p.m.

The Pan Am Games Torch Relay is a 41-day journey that will share the Pan Am spirit in more than 130 communities. The torch relay is one of the most exciting events as it sets the stage leading up to the Games.  There will be more than 3,000 torchbearers and 180 community celebrations taking place.

Media Materials
The following torch relay items are available at TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay: relay route map, full list of communities and dates, daily highlight summaries and media vehicle registration information.

All torch relay media advisories and news releases are available on CNW. Day 26 highlight images and videos are available on Flickr by copying and pasting this URL into a web browser: https://www.flickr.com/gp/133157263@N06/9pC6yK.

The torch relay can also be followed on Twitter.

About the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay  
The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay, presented by President's Choice® and OLG, is supported by community partner CIBC, signature supporters Star Media Group and Metroland Media, Ontario Trillium Foundation and Porter Airlines, and funding parties the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario. The torch relay will invite Canadians to celebrate and share the Pan Am spirit throughout its 41-day journey towards Toronto, the Host City of the Games.

The torch relay starts May 30, 2015, and concludes July 10, 2015, with the dramatic lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony in downtown Toronto.

The TORONTO 2015 Games are funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as Lead Partner CIBC and other partners and sponsors.

To learn more about the torch relay and when the Pan Am flame will visit a community near you, visit TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay or download the official TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games app, presented by CIBC.

SOURCE Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

Jill MacCannell, Coordinator, marketing and communications, TO2015, 416.996.4076, [email protected]