MEDIA ADVISORY - TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay to Celebrate in Peterborough and Region of Durham on June 5

Pan Am flame to visit the Bowmanville Zoo, daytime celebration at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex in Bowmanville and evening celebration at Oshawa City Hall

TORONTO, May 29, 2015 /CNW/ - On Friday, June 5, Day 7 of the Pan Am Games Torch Relay presented by President's Choice® and OLG, the Pan Am flame will visit Peterborough and several communities in Durham Region, including Bowmanville, Courtice and Oshawa. 

The Pan Am flame and PACHI, the official mascot of the Games, will start the day in Peterborough at Queen Mary Public School. Upon arrival into the Region of Durham, the Pan Am flame will first visit the Bowmanville Zoo, followed by a community celebration at Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. In the afternoon, the Pan Am flame will take a ride on a tractor before arriving at Oshawa City Hall for the evening celebration when Norma Douglas, the Oshawa community torchbearer, will light the cauldron.

Friday, June 5, 2015 (Relay Day 7: Peterborough, ON to Oshawa, ON)

Queen Mary Public School – 11:15 a.m. (ET) (1445 Monaghan Road North, Peterborough)
Start of day celebration:

• PACHI presentation with students
• Katie Oickle, student, will be the first torchbearer of Day 7

Bowmanville Zoo – 1 p.m. (ET) (340 King Street East, Bowmanville)
Photo opportunity:

• Michael Hackenberger, Bowmanville Zoo owner, will carry the Pan Am flame alongside 30 zoo animals

Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex – (2440 Highway 2, Bowmanville)
Day celebration:

• Community torchbearer Christopher Vanhaverbeke will arrive with the Pan Am flame and light the community cauldron at 2:30 p.m.
• Torchbearer Sara Veenstra will depart with Pan Am flame

Oshawa City Hall – (50 Centre Street South, Oshawa)
Evening celebration:

• Community torchbearer Norma Douglas will be the final torchbearer who will light the community cauldron at 7 p.m.
• Crystal Shawanda will perform at the celebration

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 7 highlight images and videos are available on Flickr by copying and pasting this URL into a web browser: https://www.flickr.com/gp/133157263@N06/2q2r84

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

Melissa Iafrate, Coordinator, marketing and communications, TO2015, 647.225.4002, [email protected]