Polish up the DeLorean, slip on a pair of classic Nike high-tops and head on over to the Angus arena this Saturday for a day of ‘electric’ fun.
To celebrate Back to the Future Day (Oct. 21) and the launch of Essa Township’s first electric vehicle charging station, the classic tale of Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown is being celebrated.
The library, in partnership with Essa Township, Earth Day Canada and Aviva, will be screening the original film at 10:30 a.m. Following the screening, the little folks are encouraged to bounce around on a giant Pixar Cars bouncy thing and then take their parents over to watch the official ribbon-cutting to open the charging station.
According to Sam Haniff, manager of planning for Essa Township, the municipality was looking for a fun way to introduce the new EV charging stations. They reached out to the library staff and together they came up with a perfect solution to their needs.
Fans of the 1989 flick Back to the Future Part II will remember it was set in 1985, where the original left off. McFly, Doc and Jennifer Parker travel to the future in Doc’s DeLorean — the date they travel to is Oct. 21, 2015, which would become the first Back to the Future day.
“In keeping with the theme of the movie, the township will be moving into the future by adding EV chargers to two of our settlements — one at the Angus arena and one at the Thornton arena,” he said.
According to Haniff, the township was notified by Earth Day Canada this past February that there was funding available through Aviva Canada for electric vehicle chargers in underserved communities across Ontario.
Staff submitted a report to council recommending they apply and council supported the recommendation. The township applied for six locations and were awarded two; they went with two Flo dual-head Core+ Max chargers.
There was no cost to the township for this initiative, as Earth Day Canada and Aviva Canada picked up the tab.
Reps from both companies will join Essa Mayor Sandie Macdonald and other dignitaries at the ceremony, which will be held at 1 p.m. in the arena parking lot.
Plug'n Drive will be setting up a booth to educate the public about electric vehicles and will have some electric vehicles available for test drives.
“We're really excited and proud to have these two charging stations installed in the township,” Haniff said. “We'll monitor how it's received and hopefully we'll install more in the future. Right now, we're just proud to be taking our first steps in this area.”
Using the township charger will cost $2 per hour.
