UW News

April 12, 2012

Get your HuskyFest on April 19-21

News and Information

Have your picture taken on Odegaard’s central staircase, a structure destined for the wrecking ball this summer.

Watch 100 years of iSchool history drawn in chalk on the sidewalk around Mary Gates Hall.

Get into the Burke and Henry for free on Saturday.

These – plus music, giveaways, lectures and more – are scheduled during HuskyFest April 19-21, a part of UW’s 150th anniversary celebration.

The first-ever HuskyFest kicks off at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 19, with music by the Oceana Quartet, winners of the 2011 UW Strings and Piano Chamber Ensemble Competition, a performance by the Husky band and opening remarks at 11 a.m. by President Michael Young.

The Oceana Quartet kicks off HuskyFest April 19.

The Oceana Quartet kicks off HuskyFest April 19.

A large tent pavilion in Red Square will be the setting for the opening events, art installations and other performances.

The pavillion, for example, is where poet and pie-baking enthusiast Kate Lebo, a UW creative writing student, will serve up poetry and pie – just be sure to visit before all the pie is gone. Catch the beat with the UW’s own percussion ensemble, enjoy jazz night with headliners like UW pianist Marc Seales, and more. A dozen performers and groups from off campus are also performing including Witch Gardens, Grynch and The Physics.

HuskyFest coincides with several long-time UW events such as the annual campus Earth Day celebration, April 20 in Red Square, and the College of Engineering’s biennial Discovery Days Fair April 20 and 21.

HuskyFest events are open to the public – and most are free – with events Saturday, April 21, especially designed for the general public, including parents of UW students, youngsters and campus neighbors. For example, two of the UW’s largest colleges roll out multiple offerings:

Polar Science Center scientists will be part of the open house April 21 in the Johnson Courtyard organized by the College of the Environment.

Polar Science Center scientists will be part of the open house April 21 in the Johnson Courtyard organized by the College of the Environment.Applied Physics Laboratory

— The Dean’s Showcase, convened by the College of Arts and Sciences, runs all day in Kane Hall in addition to other open houses and performances around campus hosted by units of the college. The college is also marking its 150th anniversary this year.
— The College of the Environment will fill the Johnson Hall courtyard, south of Red Square behind Gerberding Hall, with a dozen booths where HuskyFest goers can learn what sharks eat, find out how “trees” end up in chewing gum and your fuel tank and make Earth Day cards using pressed flowers and leaves from the UW Botanic Gardens.

And what would a Husky event be without dawgs? Saturday afternoon in Red Square watch Tucker, a black labrador retriever mix, go through his paces as a member of the UW’s Conservation Canines, and in the kids activity area be sure to meet up with Harry the Husky.

Check the event website for advice about getting to campus and a list of event sponsors.