A fun, eclectic program awaits visitors to Community Day, April 6: 3/03

NEWS RELEASE

3/31/03

Barbara Palmer, News Service: (650) 724-6184, barbara.palmer@stanford.edu

EDITORS: For information available on the World Wide Web, see http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/neighbors/communityday/index.html

A fun, eclectic program awaits visitors to Community Day, April 6

A poetry slam, a lecture by former Secretary of Defense William Perry, a Victorian archeological puzzle, children's pony rides, a nationally recognized BMX bicycle stunt team, a chemistry "magic" show there will be something for everyone when Stanford celebrates its second Community Day on Sunday, April 6.

Conceived as a family-oriented open house, the free event will feature more than 50 exhibits, programs and interactive events, including athletic events, science displays, demonstrations of cutting-edge university research, a children's community carnival, a health fair, faculty lectures and arts, including music, dance, visual arts and film. Nineteen student groups, 25 university departments and hundreds of student, faculty, staff and community volunteers will participate.

Most Community Day events, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be on or near the university's Main Quadrangle and Oval at the end of Palm Drive. The event, designed to promote partnerships and increase understanding among Stanford and neighboring communities, drew 6,500 visitors last year.

Among the day's highlights:

A 9 a.m. Fun Run/Walk, which will precede Community Day and benefit the new East Palo Alto YMCA. (Registration starts at 8 a.m. at Stanford Stadium.)
A 10 a.m. rededication of Memorial Church, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Following the service, a colorful procession headed by the Green Street Mortuary Band and campus and community dignitaries will travel from the church to the Mausoleum that holds the remains of university founders Jane and Leland Stanford and their son, Leland Stanford Jr., for a Founders' Celebration. The Mausoleum will be open to the public during Community Day.
At 11 a.m. William Perry, former secretary of defense and current faculty member, will speak about national security issues. Irving Weissman, director of Stanford's Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, will speak about stem cells, also at 11 a.m. A 3 p.m. talk, "Exploring Math on the Home Front," by Shelley Goldman, associate professor in the School of Education, will include a crafts activity for families.
From 1 to 2 p.m., visitors can chat with President John Hennessy, Provost John Etchemendy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Isaac Stein and Vice President for Public Affairs Gordon Earle at the Community Day information tent at the top of the Oval.
The final discussion and reception for "Discovering Dickens," an 18-week-long community project to read Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. (Nearly 7,000 people took part in the project.) Faculty who are Dickens experts will participate.
At 3 p.m., University Archeologist Laura Jones will reveal the functions of 10 artifacts unearthed at the site of the former mansion of Jane and Leland Stanford, which was nearly demolished in the 1906 earthquake. (A contest to identify the objects will be held on Community Day in the history area on Serra Mall.)

Parking has been reserved for Community Day participants at the corner of Galvez Street and Campus Drive and also is available at Stock Farm Road. Shuttles will run from both areas to Community Day events. (Visitors also may park in campus non-residential lots, but spaces may be hard to find.) Valet bicycle parking will be available in a bike corral at the Oval. (Cyclists should bring bike locks.) Some campus cafes will be open, and food concessions will be available.

For a full schedule and more information about Community Day, visit the website at http://neighbors.stanford.edu or call (650) 724-2933.

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