There really is a Vulcan - in Alberta! Nimoy helped out..
The town of Vulcan wanted to host the Canadian premiere of the Star Trek movie - but didn't have the facilities. They lost.
Leonard Nimoy arranged for a couple of busloads of Vulcanites to attend the premiere in Calgary, a good several hours away. :) Bruce Greenwood (Cpt Chris Pike) attended as well, to the delight of the attendees.
Leonard - you rock! :D
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http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alber...93226-sun.html
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Town's tourism boom trek-tacular
By SHANNON MONTGOMERY, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last Updated: 14th June 2009, 4:15am
VULCAN -- Before hitching its fortunes to the Starship Enterprise, the southern Alberta town of Vulcan had dropped out of warp speed and appeared to be drifting into anonymity.
It wasn't far from being a ghost town, a place nobody -- boldly or otherwise -- went.
The hotel on the main strip was boarded up, the top two floors condemned. Many other businesses in the town of 1,942 people were also shuttered.
"It used to be on afternoons, downtown, you could shoot a cannon and not hit anybody," said resident Pat Wisener.
Now, thanks to word of mouth from loyal Trekkers who keep coming back, ever-expanding attractions and a boost from actor Leonard Nimoy, the town is taking flight as a stand-alone tourist destination.
Vulcan, which shares its name with the home planet of Mr. Spock from the original space series, months ago had launched a high-profile quest for the Canadian premiere of the latest blockbuster Star Trek movie.
That mission failed. But after Nimoy, who portrayed the original Spock, called up the media to complain that the community was being "illogically" ignored, Vulcan got a Calgary-based sneak peek -- and a whole lot of publicity.
Klingons, Romulans, Starfleet officers and the simply curious poured in for this weekend's Spock Days and VulCON Star Trek convention.
Rob Uhrig, who came from Ottawa, said Vulcan is an out-of-this-world experience for a devoted fan.
Uhrig, a member of the Klingon club KAG Canada, said other conventions are run by corporations out to make money, but Vulcan truly focuses on making a fan's experience the most important.
"Vulcan is great. The people here treat us like we're the celebrities."
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What Leonard did and said:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Trave...098/story.html
Quote:
Paramount Pictures initially said no to the town. However, the studio announced Friday that a special screening of the film will be held in Calgary exclusively for 300 residents of the town of Vulcan.
Vulcans will be selected by lottery to attend the screening, tentatively scheduled for May 6. Paramount will bus them to and from Calgary.
Earlier this week, a story about the town's efforts caught the attention of actor Leonard Nimoy, who has played Spock for four decades and makes an appearance in the new film.
Nimoy, 77, gave the town's plight a high-profile boost when he called the Calgary Herald to lend his support. "My people in Vulcan are very disappointed and something needs to be done about it," he told the newspaper.
But on Friday, he issued a joint statement with Paramount Pictures, saying the studio's new plan for Vulcan residents was "logical."
"The people of Vulcan have been heard and, although it is atypical for Vulcans, they are, in fact, excited. To all, live long and prosper," Nimoy said in a news release.
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/ph...r-trek-two.jpg
Some of the lucky lottery winners
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465...55/1693936.bin
Read here about the annuals Spock's Day Parade:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Travel/...755/story.html
