Newfoundland Adventures part 14: More real places in Come from Away

I shared pictures of the places the historical society of Gander put on their Wayfinding Guide to Important "Come from Away" sites in Gander. This is more the unofficial guide. Pictures of places that stood out in the show. 

A) Shoppers

Oz: "So I go down to Shoppers and the manager says just take what I want off the shelves -- toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, deodorant." 

Technically this Shoppers was built after 9/11, but when we saw it as we drove to our hotel my heart leapt in joy. We bought some toiletries to support them.

B) Airport

"You've all seen the airport. Used to be the busiest airport in North America. Planes used to stop here to gas up from everywhere. Whoo! Frank Sinatra, Albert Einstein -- Mohammed Ali. The Queen!

"Then they invented jet planes that can get across the ocean on one tank -- So there's no need to refuel anymore. Leavin' us with this giant airport."

Today about a dozen flights come and go from Gander. They have three air traffic control agents working at all times, mostly watching the planes that fly over their heads. There is a giant waiting area, through the doors you step back in time to the 1950s in the preserved first class lounge. The first elevator in Newfoundland is visible, but not running. Upstairs is a museum. The counter in the picture is still in operation. Looked like they sell Sweet Rock ice cream. Two days earlier we ate some blueberry Sweet Rock ice cream in Trinity, NL, which was made 100 feet away from the store where it is sold.

No trip to Gander is complete without a stop at the airport. Later I realized we could have flown in and out of Gander for about the same price as St. John's, but with many fewer options.

C) Salvation Army

Garth (spoken): We rarely use them, but everyone dusted off their Salvation Army uniforms to welcome these people.

Muhumuza (spoken): There are soldiers everywhere.

This is actually located in Gambo. It is where Nick and Diane stayed.

I took a picture of the SUF (Society of United Fishermen) instead of the Salvation Army.

D) Dover Fault

Sitting on the Nick and Diane bench

Diane: We're told by our pilot to stay close to our shelters so we're ready to go again. So we end up on one last walk to this gorgeous lookout, the Dover Fault. 

This was one of the moments watching the show you might think they just made this up. The man from England falls in love with the Texas woman. They have one last date at the Dover Fault, the place where two continents collided millions of years ago. The Dover Fault Interpretation Center has a copy of the picture Nick took of Diane when Diane realized he was in love with her. The two married, honeymooned in Gander, and have returned every so often since.

Diane (spoken): Look at this: five hundred and forty million years ago, the continents of the world crashed together right here; and two hundred million years, they separated again, moving apart from each other.

E) The four meter long piece of World Trade Center steel

Actually located 15 minutes up the road in Appleton, NL

Gander has three other pieces of WTC steel

Inside the Aviation Museum

Inside the Gander International Airport

Outside Town Hall

F) Town of Gambo

Gander (with 9,000 residents) could not house everyone. Neighboring towns chipped in, including Gambo. As one character said, every town with 1,000 people has their own mayor.

Gambo is even smaller than Gander. When we stopped by the historic society (located behind this sign) and asked about "Come from Away" spots they gave us a blank look. I asked about the downtown area so we could see the gayest town in Canada. They said the road we were on was it. 

G) Pictures of real people

Inside the Dover Fault and Interpretation Center are pictures of those who inspired the musical.

The mayor. His son was our server at Rosie's

H) "Come from Away" Gander castmates Petrina Bromley and Astrid Van Wieren both appeared on Broadway in "Come from Away". Petrina was Bonnie, and is now Beverly. Astrid has always portrayed Diane. The rest of the cast all have impressive resumes.

If "Come from Away" is one of your favorite musicals, we both highly recommend seeing it in Gander. It is transformative. There are still tickets for this year, but check and make sure you can rent a car before you decide to go. Car rentals are limited and many have been scooped up by people going to St. John's for Canada Games. That won't be an issue next year.