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MEDIA RELEASE Friday 28 Aug 2009
THIS WEEKEND….
KIDS CONSTRUCT ‘CAIRNS’ OUT OF CARDBOARD
MEDIA CALL: Friday 28 August, 2.30pm on Eastern Events Lawn of Esplanade
Today, from 9am, Bindi and her team from Polyglot Productions will lay the cardboard foundations for tomorrow’s family-friendly and FREE event, We Built this City – two sessions on both Saturday and Sunday – details below. While set up is most of the day, best time for photo call is around 2.30 pm onwards. Spread across an area of about 20 square metres, some 3,000 boxes will be used; all of which will be recycled into garden friendly mulch at the end of the event! Call Bindi at Polyglot for more details on 0432 275 165 or for other media enquiries : Pip Miller PR 0419 681543
Backgrounder
: Thanks to a major sponsorship pledge by Kewarra Beach Resort, along with a Cairns collective of generous development and construction industry players, Festival Cairns will bring it to the kids with an exciting new and free event: We Built this City.
As a specialist event on Cairns Regional Council’s program wish list that was pitched to the Cairns community earlier in the year, We Built this City quickly captured the imagination of well-known engineer, Pat Flanagan of Flanagan Consulting Group – who took it upon himself to solicit support from industry fellows to bring this idea to life.
Mr Flanagan was successful in his quest, with donations raised consolidated by the very generous sponsorship of Kewarra Beach Resort owner, Sean Howard, keen to support the community that has long supported this local business.
Swapping cardboard for concrete, kids architectural and construction capabilities will be put to the test in the middle weekend of Festival Cairns spanning Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August. The Esplanade Plaza (the area where Shields Street and the Esplanade meet) will take new shape when stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes await the energy and imaginations of children.
According to Mayor Val Schier, Cairns Regional Council is delighted to add this world-class event into our dynamic mix of free entertainment for families.
“We Built This City is a public construction extravaganza, using nothing but thousands of cardboard boxes. Guided by performers in the role of construction workers to facilitate free play, kids build an entire city in two days, before the whole thing is crushed (by its builders) into a recyclable heap of rubble.
“Live music underscores the action, while challenges and outcomes are set along the way by, with and for the children. We Built This City is not a play… it is play.”
We Built this City is an event by Polyglot that has been touring Australia continuously since its premiere in 2001. Making its debut this year on the Festival Cairns program is significant – marking its first time in north Queensland. Interestingly, these appearances will pre-empt the production’s US premiere at the prestigious Kennedy Centre in Washington DC.
Councillor Schier said that while this event adds credence to the free and family aspect of Festival Cairns, it is bound to focus the attention of city leaders and development industry representatives.
“I have been assured, that one of the most fascinating aspects of We Built This City is how it comes to reflect the urban architecture of the city in which it is taking place. In Melbourne, for example, the children build houses with big backyards and fences. In Perth, tunnels and an underground world to escape the heat. In Sydney, bridges and monuments. In Singapore, giant skyscrapers,” she said.
Show times: Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th August – 9:30am and 2pm both days (shows run for 2.5 hours)
Age: 5 to 12 years will enjoy this show the most – but little ones and “big kids” (that’s you mum & dad) are welcome to join the fun
Sunsafe: This is an outdoor play activity so please remember to “slip, slop, slap and put on a hat” to join in safely.
Major Sponsor – Kewarra Beach Resort
Supporting Sponsors – Flanagan Consulting Group (organiser), Urban Development Institute of Australia, MGF Consulting Group, Capital Globe, Satterley, Planning Far North, and SPA Consulting Engineers
As event manager of Festival Cairns 2009, Cairns Regional Council gratefully acknowledges the support of major sponsors Arts Queensland, Queensland State Government, Ergon Energy and Pacific Toyota. This year’s theme, “Telling our Stories” will roll out over 16, action-packed days between Friday 21 August and Sunday 6 September 09.
Ends
For more information:
Belinda Griffin, Festival Cairns Coordinator
T: 07 4044 3593 M: 0407 966 530 E: festival@cairns.qld.gov.au
Issued by:
Pip Miller PR
T: 07 4032 4400 M: 0419 681543 E: pip@pipmillerpr.com.au
www.pipmillerpr.com.au