Tom and I spent only one night in Gander but it set the foundation for the rest of our visit on the island of Newfoundland they call the "Rock". During our 24 hours in Gander, we enjoyed a wonderful musical, visited two memorials, and learned more about Gander and Newfoundland than I could have imagined. What we learned in Gander also led us to the neighboring town of Appleton, further enhancing our experience.
Experiencing Gander
While Tom and I were camping at Dildo Run Provincial Park, we managed to get two tickets for the musical, Come from Away, in Gander the following night. We knew nothing about the show but we had seen advertisements across Newfoundland and someone we met during our travels highly recommended it. Over the years, the musical had made its way around the world including Broadway in New York City. Tom and I didn't realize, at the time, how lucky we were to get tickets and especially for that particular night.
The show was playing at the Arts and Cultural Center in Gander which is located neat the Gander airport and shares a parking lot with the hockey rink. The parking lot is very large and we were happy to see it listed as a boondocking spot in our iOverlander app. Perfect! We could attend the show then sleep in the parking lot. As we dressed in our camper and walked across the parking lot to the Arts Center, we still didn't know what the show was really about... Something to do with 9-11 which seems strange for a musical.
When Tom and I arrived in the lobby, about 30 minutes before the show started, it was already packed with people. We had mistakenly assumed most of the attendees would be tourists but they all seemed to know each other. A small booth in the lobby displayed "Come from Away" merchandise including tshirts and several different books. A gentleman standing near the books appeared to be an author signing his books. The lobby was filled with excitement but Tom and I had no idea what a special night it was... afterall, we were a couple CFAs that bought tickets the night before with no planning. It wasn't until the show began, and especially after it ended, that we understood what a special night it was.
It turns out that we were there on the official opening night in Gander after it toured the world. The musical played to a full house including mostly locals, many that are portrayed in the show. Guest speakers helped open and close the show, including the current mayor who was deputy mayor during 911. Even the shows producer, Michael Rubinoff came to Gander for this special event. We have no idea how we managed to get tickets at the last minute. We were in the very last row but well worth it. I wish we would have had a better understanding of the history and circumstances as we were standing in the lobby rubbing elbows (literally) with all these people before the show. We feel incredibly fortunate to have seen Come from Away in Gander where the story actually happened. Interestingly, soon after leaving Gander, we met a couple from Newfoundland that hadn't seen it in Gander, but they saw it on Broadway. They felt extremely fortunate to see it in NYC where the story actually began.
So, what the heck is this musical about??? When US airspace was shut down the morning of 9/11, airplanes enroute from Europe to the US needed somewhere to land. 38 of those airplanes landed in Gander nearly doubling the town’s population within a matter of hours. The musical is about the people of Gander and surrounding communities doing whatever it took to help nearly 7000 passengers and crew from around the world eat, sleep, shower, communicate and grieve in the days following 9/11 while they were trapped, indefinitely, on an island many had never heard of.
As Tom and I traveled across Canada to reach Newfoundland we met people from many different provinces and when they learned we were headed for Newfoundland, they all had the same response… “The people there are so NICE”. And they were right! In the end, that’s what “Come from Away” is about. Good people taking a bad situation and making it better.
By the time Tom and I made it to Gander, we had experienced enough of Newfoundland to appreciate the culture which was so accurately depicted in the show. For example, the title “Come from Away” (CFAs) is just one of the many odd sayings they have. It refers to people that are not from Newfoundland. When locals talk to each other in “Newfinese” we can’t understand a thing! Tom and I noticed the strange language when we stopped at our first Tim Horton’s in Newfoundland. It was clearly the place to be… where “everybody knows your name”. We couldn’t help but laugh out loud when Tim Horton’s was depicted in the musical as the place where the entire town congregates. We were just happy all the performers were speaking English instead of Newfinese!
While Tom and I boondocked in the hockey rink parking lot, we visited nearby memorials including Gander Heritage Memorial Park and the Compassion Monument with a piece of steel from the twin tower. We walked past buildings such as the Community Center, Legion, and the Town Hall, not to mention several churches. Before leaving town we parked at Walmart while we took Aly to a nearby dog wash. All of these seemingly unrelated sites share a common thread in the Gander 9-11 story. From Gander's aviation history to the hockey rink that acted as a huge refrigerstor for storing food for all the "Plane People" to Walmart that had necessary clothes and supplies. Nearly every public building was used as a shelter or kitchen. The community center showers helped weary travelers feel a little better. The list goes on and on. We boondocked in the middle of this historic and magical place that looks like a parking lot.
You can view a few photos from our Gander experience on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Exploring Appleton
Tom and I were so inspired by our Gander experience that we had to stop by a related memorial in nearby Appleton. The mayer of Appleton during 9/11, Dern Flynn, and his wife hosted "Plane People" from nearby Gander in their home and throughout their community. The River Front Peace Park in Appleton displays another piece of steel from the towers.
You can view a few photos from our Appleton visit on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
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