What happened to da Vinci Days?

As you probably know by now, the da Vinci Days board of directors made the difficult decision in 2020 to end our festival's run of nearly thirty years. (You can read the news release here). da Vinci Days is now the overarching non-profit umbrella for the Graand Kinetic Challenge.

 

Founded in 1989, the da Vinci Days festival was all about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), showcasing the creativity of community members, students and staff from local schools, LBCC, and OSU. Inspired by the "left brain meets right brain" genius of Leonardo, da Vinci Days was a canvas for anyone to celebrate their own creativity and innovation. For nearly 30 years, counting a three-year hiatus--da Vinci Days existed to celebrate our community of artists, engineers, teachers, and visionaries while supporting the economic development and vitality of Corvallis and Benton County.

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The race goes on!

We're still all about STEAM and showcasing our community's creativity and innovation, and kinetic sculpture racing has always been a great way to do that! In fact, it's easy to imagine da Vinci, himself, creating and piloting one of these fanciful contraptions. While we will always miss our unique, home-grown festival, the da Vinci Days organization is now pouring our energy and resources into the Graand Kinetic Challenge, commonly known as the GKC. As always, the GKC will be held every year during the third weekend in July, here in Corvallis. Please keep coming out to enjoy this unique event with us! As ever, it’s FREE, it’s FUN, and it’s FAANTASTIC!

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What's next?

So, the race will happen every year, for the fun and for the glory!  Will the festival ever return? Will something new and different take its place? Only the amazingly creative members of our community can answer these questions. Stay tuned to find out or, better yet, get involved and help to provide the answers!