Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
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Leonard Nimoy is beaming into Vulcan, Alberta

Although the weather was really unpredictable and despite a spell of unwelcoming hail, rain and snow, my husband Mark and I started our new traditional saga of summer travel in Alberta. Thus, we find our way to Vulcan to see what this town has to offer. We want to witness the so called Star Trek Capital of Canada. We were not disappointed as Leonard Nimoy a.k.a. Mr. Spock arrived and made a special appearance in Vulcan, Alberta, Canada on Friday April 23, 2010. This was courtesy of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, to help Vulcan celebrate its new status as “The Official Star Trek Capital of Canada”.

The reason is because the Town of Vulcan, Alberta is now recognized around the solar system and throughout the alpha-quadrant for its coincidental relationship to Star Trek and Mr. Spock’s home planet. We explored the Space Tourism Trek Station, Vulcan-style, as we and other Trekkies searched for UFOs and other cosmic phenomena, across miles of dark sky in Vulcan County. My husband & I were curious to learn the science facts and fiction of this unique town in the Canadian Prairies.

For those who were wondering where Vulcan is, it is located about an hour and a half south of Calgary and an hour north of Lethbridge on Highway 23. http://canadianbadlands.com/Vulcan County is also the western gateway to the magical Canadian Badlands, the carved prairie landscape harbouring dinosaur fossils.

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The event commenced downtown with all establishments displaying Star Trek decorations , street vending kiosks and a hosted barbeque. Town officials, including Mayor Tom Grant, were decked out in full Star Trek gear while most of the crowd wore some type of intergalactic theme to join the “Trekkies”.

A beaming Mr. Nimoy arrived in Vulcan for a private tour of the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station at around 2:30 p.m. He was dressed casually in a grey sweater and black pants, and was without his trademark Vulcan ears. Hundreds of cheering fans welcomed him this Friday afternoon outside the Vulcan Tourism Centre before joining a parade -style procession that made its way from the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station to downtown.

There was a special stage set up in the downtown core where Mr. Nimoy addressed the crowd, unveiled a bronze bust of Mr. Spock that the town had commissioned in his honour and left behind his famous Vulcan “Live Long and Prosper” hand sign that will later be immortalized in bronze for all to see. Before leaving Vulcan, Mr. Nimoy loaned the town 2 unique items from his personal memorabilia collection: an official Original Series cast portrait, autographed by all of the original cast members; AND the original ears he wore when portraying Spock in the original series which will be on display at the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station for one year. Immediately following the stage event, Mr. Nimoy returned to Calgary to prepare for his appearance at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo on April 24 and 25.

After the parade there was a Stark Trek Movie Marathon from 5pm – midnight at the Vulcan Lodge Hall. The proceeds from this fun movie night went go towards supporting the Vulcan Recreation Board’s Arts and Culture programming.

After a few more pictures were taken, before heading home, my husband and I decided to visit another small town along the way for a coffee and snack… at Mossleigh, Alberta, to experience the Aspen Crossing Restaurant . Aspen Crossing was truly fortunate to have purchased an extraordinary treasure -an 1887 Pullman Rail Car, 76 feet long and beautifully preserved now as dining car. This car was once part of the side track cafe in Edmonton. We were very pleased to sip our steamy hot tea and dessert in the private rail car which was once used by former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker when he travelled across Western Canada. It has been a long day-trip, and certainly rewarding.

Leonard Nimoy is beaming into Vulcan, Alberta

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