Get ready to experience Jasper in a variety of new and exciting ways: Canada’s nationally celebrated Parks Day is coming.

Taking place on Saturday, July 17 (with a kickoff concert at the Brushfire Gallery the night before), Jasper National Park is gearing up for a number of new events taking place in this year’s celebration.

“It’s one of the biggest Parks Day events in all of Canada, which is pretty cool,” said Heather Aussant, an assistant manager with the Friends of Jasper, who are organizing many of Parks Days events.Aussant said there were a number of new developments at this year’s Parks Day that make it different than last year’s. 

The Friends of Jasper have teamed up with the Jasper Artists Guild and has organized artists to take up easel positions along the Discovery Trail. The artists will be sitting on the trail on Saturday, July 17 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. with paints, pencils and paper, all in the name of creating art from the landscapes in front of them. People are welcome to walk the trail and snoop over the artists’ shoulders to see what they have cooking.

“We’re calling it Art in the Park,” said Aussant. “It should be good.”

She said the geocaching treasure hunting games at this year’s Parks Day were also new for 2010. Aussant said that Rob Byrce, who has recently written a GPS guided trail map book about Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park, will be on hand on the visitor’s lawn during the day. He will be holding GPS orientation talks and is free to answer questions about how to geo cache and get the most out of your GPS unit.

According to the Parks Day website, “First celebrated in 1990, Canada’s Parks Day is an opportunity for Canadians to participate in one of hundreds of unique and fun events taking place in parks and sites from coast to coast to coast.”

“It’s gonna be fun,” said Aussant. “Everyone should come out.”