Canada’s first astronaut featured during Culture Days in Burlington

Marc Garneau, Canada’s first man in space, will discuss his life as an astronaut and a politician during Burlington’s Culture Days.

It was on Oct. 5, 1984 that Garneau made history. Blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle, he became the first Canadian to fly to outer space. Twenty-four years later, Garneau made history again, becoming the first astronaut to be elected as a Member of Parliament.

Now, Garneau has produced a book about his life, A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream where he chronicles his ascent from Canadian naval midshipman to a decorated astronaut and statesman who represented Canada on the world stage.

He will discuss his career and book in a Culture Days event presented by the Burlington Public Library. His appearance will take place Oct. 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Port Nelson United Church, 3132 South Street.

You can register for the event here.

Meanwhile, several other events will take place during Culture Days that begin Sept. 20 and continues through Oct. 13. Culture Days features local arts and cultural professionals, creative organizations and businesses that host free events for the community.

Culture Days is hosted by independent Burlington artists; the Arts and Culture Council of Burlington; the Art Gallery of Burlington; the Burlington Performing Arts Centre; Burlington Public Library; Museums of Burlington; Tourism Burlington and Arts Burlington, and the City of Burlington.

Here are some of the highlights of Culture Days:

Beachway Public Art, Sept. 20 to Oct. 13
The City of Burlington public art program has curated a temporary art project featuring the work of twenty local visual artists and writers. The temporary signs will be installed near Beachway Park.

Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) Exhibits and Events, Sept 20 to Oct. 8
The AGB is exhibiting David R. Harper’s MIDNIGHT, Magdolene Dykstra’s Exchanging Presence and Jose Luis Torres’ The place as an object and the object as a place.

Burlington Public Library (BLP), Sept. 21 to Oct. 8
BPL is hosts free music and meditation sessions for adults, art and writing workshops for kids as well as author sessions. Meet Indigenous storyteller Jim Adams on Sept. 28, author Lisa Moore on Oct. 1, and former astronaut Marc Garneau on Oct. 5.

Burlington Seniors Centre, Sept. 27, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Arts and Culture Council of Burlington hosts local artists and performers to celebrate the diverse talents within Burlington’s arts and cultural community. 

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC), Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BPAC is removing barriers to performing arts participation with a full day of free and accessible community programming. This year BPAC offers a combination of performances and interactive events that will showcase performing artists and organizations from Burlington and the surrounding region. 

Joseph Brant Museum, Sept. 28, 1 to 3 p.m.
Museums of Burlington is partnering with the city and regional municipalities to present a community art project. Harmony in Culture is a collaborative ceramic mural project designed to celebrate cultural diversity and unity through art. Artists Yvette Garcia-Mier, Shahrzad Amin and Lauren Sinett will lead a clay workshop at Joseph Brant Museum and create unique artwork that will be incorporated into a larger community mural.

For a complete listing of Culture Days activities happening in Burlington, please visit burlington.ca/culturedays or the Burlington Hub at culturedays.ca.