Finnish Festival

Hey guys!

Yesterday I attended the Finnish Festival that was taking place this weekend. The sun was shining, so I knew it was going to be a great day, and boy was it ever! It was good to see such a good turnout and the festival. Jenna and I arrived at the Finnish Festival at around 10am and there were already so many activities going on. The first major event they had going on was the boot toss. The contestants had to toss a rubber boot as far as they could. Whoever tossed their boot the furthest won the game. The second major event was the cell phone toss. Similar to the boot toss, the contestants had to toss a cell phone as far as they could. Whoever threw the cellphone the further would win a trip to Finland or Iceland. A lot of the contestant had been practicing and warming up before it was their turn, so you could just imagine how bad they wanted to win the trip. The third major event was the wife-carrying contest, a Finnish tradition. Husbands had to carry their wives through an obstacle course while being timed. Again whoever won this event won a trip to Finland or Iceland. So this was another serious event for the contestants, who were practicing and warming up before it was their turn. While all the events were going on they had live Finnish music. It was amazing to hear the music of a culture different than mine. We ran into a couple people that actually flew down to Sudbury from Finland for the festival. I was surprised that they knew so much English. We were able to have a full conversation with them in English and they understood what we were saying. It was interesting to learn about their home country and their culture. They had food and drinks booths set up as well as a face painting station.
Jenna and I surveyed people at the event, took pictures and videos.
It was great to see so many people out at the Finnish Festival on such a nice Saturday afternoon!

Science North

Hey Everyone!

I was also given the chance to visit Science North this past Friday. Science North brings back so many childhood memories. When I was younger I used to go once a month (if not more) with my family and friends. It is great to see how much they have added on to it. There are so many more things to see and do.
I was able to go view both the IMAXs they have going on right now: Sea Monsters 3D and Grand Canyon Adventure. Sea Monsters 3D was amazing! It feels as though you are right there with the sea creatures, so close you can touch them. Some swim so close to you, you feel as though they are going to swim right into you. Sea Monsters allows you to take a look back at what marine reptiles and what they looked like during the time of the dinosaur age. Grand Canyon Adventure deals with how the Grand Canyon River is at risk. It takes you back showing you how the river used to be, compared to what it is now. This movie takes you through a thrilling river-rafting adventure while telling a great story about the Grand Canyon.
After viewing the IMAXs I went on a little tour of Science North. There were so many amazing things to see and do! I checked out the butterfly exhibit. It is amazing to watch all the butterflies fly around you. I went around and looked at all the amazing creatures Science North has, including Quillan, the porcupine.
I also took a look at a newer exhibition called Club Genome. Club Genome teaches you how cells communicate and how DNA works. They teach you this by relating it to music. This is a fun and educational exhibit suited for people of all ages.
Going to Science North brought back so many childhood memories. I hope I get the chance to visit Science North again soon because it truly is a fun place to be.

Dynamic Earth

Hey Everyone!
Today I had the chance to visit Dynamic Earth. I've been there a couple times before but they have added new attractions, so I thought it would be good to check it out again. I've already been underground about 3 times so I decided I would skip out on that and enjoy the other attractions Dynamic Earth offers. Dynamic Earth recently opened a Diamond Exhibition. This exhibition shows you how diamonds are formed, how you find them, how you cut them etc. Diamonds also has different machines that allows you to measure the size of your ring, as well as check out your diamonds to see if they are real. Unfortunately I don't have any diamonds :(!...yet...But if I did I would be sure to check them! Dynamic Earth provides people with very interesting information about Sudbury and mining. They have a booth set up where you can sit and watch about a 3 minute video on how Sudbury was formed. They have a Mining Command Center where people can operate a mine. Something exciting for the kids is Explora Mine. Kids can operate a conveyer belt and move "rocks", while using machines that are just their size. On my way out I decided to watch the 45 minute film "Forces of Nature". Forces of Nature talked about volcanos, earthquakes, and tornado. It gave details about each of them, how they occur and why, and how they can be prevented. I personally thought this film was very interesting. These natural darters are dangerous and not something I've really thought about before until now.

I've been to the Big Nickel many times before, but I thought because I was already in the area I might as well pay a visit to it. I still can't get over how amazing and unique the Big Nickel is, it sure represents Sudbury!

At the Train Station

Some interesting travelers have come through the train station recently. Yesterday we had a couple traveling from Iowa City. About two weeks ago they decided to get up and go on vacation. With no real set plans they left Iowa City and traveled up north and ended up at the Canadian border and decided to cross it. For both of them this was their first time in Canada. They think it is a very beautiful place with lots of lakes (something they are not used to). They traveled to Montreal, Ottawa and then ended up in Sudbury. When they came to us they said they have no real plans as to where they are going, nor do they care. They were only staying in Sudbury for the day and then they were off to find a campground to stay for the night. We mentioned visiting Dynamic Earth or Science North and told them about a couple campground around the area to stay at for the night. I found this couple very interesting. I think it is amazing to just randomly decide to travel with no idea where you want to go and just end up in different places. They were able to see and experience so many new and different places. They had no intention to come to Canada, but then when they reached the border they thought, why not? After talking to them about their travels, it made me realize one day I wouldn't mind doing something like that. One day decide to travel with no real destination in mind, just hop in the car and go. The couple has been traveling around for about a week and a half and are still on their journey heading in the direction of home, but still making stops along the way.

You can tell its summer because a lot of people are coming into the station asking about nearby campgrounds. What better way to enjoy the summer than camping with friends and family! Sudbury and its surrounding area has a couple great campgrounds and provincial parks for people to enjoy.

My First Week

Hi Everyone,

My name is Shanna Crispo and I am a summer student at the City of Greater Sudbury in the Tourism department. I recently completed my first week at work and so far everything has been amazing. I really enjoy what I am doing. I get the opportunity to see what Sudbury has to offer and share my experiences with others :). After going around town and experiencing what Sudbury to offer, I truly believe Sudbury is a wonderful place with a lot of things to see and do. My co-workers are a wonderful group of people who welcomed me with open arms and they have taught me a lot within this past week. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer and I will keep everyone posted on what's happening around Sudbury :).

Day at Sudbury's Beaches

Today the sun was shining so I thought it would be a perfect day to go out to the local beaches and collect some surveys. My first stop was at Bell Park. The beach was packed with little kids and students skipping school to enjoy the first nice day Sudbury has seen in a while. It was amazing to finally see people out enjoying what Sudbury has to offer. Unfortunately I wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather. I was walking around in my black work pants and a short sleeve shirt. I would of much rather of been in a bathing suit soaking up the sun like everyone else. After an hour or so of walking around filling out surveys and taking pictures it was time for me to move onto the next beach. My final stop for the day was at Moonlight beach (one of my favorite beaches in Sudbury). Moonlight wasn’t as crowded as Bell Park surprisingly. I snapped a couple pictures and filled out a couple surveys. As I was on my way out I ran into a couple that just returned from biking the trail behind Moonlight. I thought it would be a good idea to ask them about the survey. They were an older couple, both very nice people. After I asked the survey questions they asked if they could give me some feedback. I was more than welcome to listen to there feedback and took notes on what they had to say. They love biking and it is one of there favorite things to do. However, they feel as though the bike trails in Sudbury need a lot of work done on them and they need to be maintained. They said they would rather go out of town to bike because they aren’t very pleased with the conditions of the bike trails. Another interesting point they mentioned was that they aren’t so much afraid of bears but more so dogs. They said a lot of the dogs are not on leashes and they get chased by them. They pointed out a sign that stated that dogs have to be on a leash, but people weren’t following it. They feel as though the city should be stricter about this law. They also suggested the city building a dog park so dogs have a place to run around and be free without putting others in harm. I told the couple I would bring up there issues to others and hopefully together we can make Sudbury a better place for everyone to enjoy:)!