TOLEDO — The University of Toledo turns 150 only once.
To mark this historic occasion, UT is hosting a commemorative Founder’s Day celebration on Wednesday, featuring a day of fun, food, fireworks and music, featuring Grammy-winning rapper T-Pain.
“Our sesquicentennial is truly a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary that connects generations of Rockets,” said Gregory Postel, UT president. “I look forward to joining the UToledo family — past, present and future — and our neighbors and supporters across the region as we come together on our beautiful campus to celebrate our 150-year history and UToledo’s bright future.”
On-campus parking will be free to the community on the main campus after 2 p.m. Exclusions include handicap, reserved, patient and metered parking.
The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections opens its anniversary historical exhibition on Founder’s Day with a lecture by Barbara Floyd, retired university archivist and author of the upcoming book, “An Institution for the Promoting of Knowledge: The University of Toledo at 150.” Titled “Ten Events That Shaped 150 Years,” the lecture will begin at 3 p.m. in the Canady Center, located on the fifth floor of Carlson Library.
The sesquicentennial exhibition, “Vision, Faith and Hard Work,” explores the events that shaped UT since its founding in 1872, with photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, ephemera and artifacts. The exhibit will be on display in the Canday Center through Aug. 1.
A lineup of performances by national and local acts will take place from 5-10:20 p.m. in the parking lot south of the Glass Bowl. The concert kicks off with local bands Distant Cousinz and the Skittle Bots, followed by national acts country-rapper David Morris and country singer Nate Smith. T-Pain is the headliner.
A variety of food trucks will be in the parking lot from 5-9:30 p.m.
A 13-minute fireworks show from Carter Field will illuminate the sky to the tunes of popular hits.
A new website, utoledo.edu/150celebration, was created in honor of the occasion.
