Shania Twain Centre Fan Convention 2004

[Tracy Hautanen]

Hey everyone,

Be sure to check out our website for information on the upcoming Fan Convention. We'll be updating you on registration fees, events, etc.. very soon.

Tracy

[ShaniasIrishGuy]

thanks tracy.. any room for the irish??

[shania-little]

coool :D thanks for posting!

[aFinn]

Tracy, can you give us a direct link?

[Tracy Hautanen]

www.shaniatwaincentre.com

[aFinn]

Thanks!!

Love the triple diamond banner! :great:

[Roger]

Put this on your calendar, fellow fans:

AUGUST 5TH TO 8TH, Second Annual Worldwide Shania Twain Centre Fan Convention

Roger

[Troll]

:great:

[dreamer]

sweet:)

[skatergirl]

Great! That just happens to be the week I am on vacation- now just have to convince thee rest of my family to "Come on Over"

Keep us posted....want to hear all about it!

[AngelinaShania]

Totally cool :great: wish I had enough money to go *gotta win lotto, gotta win lotto* :bounce:

[Shania's4life!!]

wait a minute does this mean that SHANIA will be at the Shania centre between august 5th-8th for us fans to go meet her in person??!!? :shocked::shocked:

[Roger]

Originally posted by Shania's4life!!
wait a minute does this mean that SHANIA will be at the Shania centre between august 5th-8th for us fans to go meet her in person??!!? :shocked::shocked:

I wish! Actually we don't know yet. It was not intended that Shania be part of the actual fan con. The fan con is basically a get together for fans. But Shania has never paid an official visit to the Shania Twain Centre. We were hoping that Shania might pay that visit this summer and the fan con could be scheduled immediately before or after this visit. Since Tracy makes no mention of Shania, I assume that either Shania will not be visiting Timmins this summer, or we simply don't know yet.

Roger

[Shania's4life!!]

i thought it sounded too good to be true! :sad:

but i am sure that Shania will be slightly motivated to make her first visit to the centre while all her fans are there!!
it would be a great treat for us as well as her!! :)
and i would DEFINATLY be there if Shania is there!! :)

better start saving UP! just in case!! :greedy:
......better not get my hopes UP! either! :sad:

[FinnFreak]

:D:up: GREAT!!!

Now that I know the dates, I can book the flights..!

That's 2 Finns flying in from Vaasa..! :]

...we really wanted to go last year, but the timing was totally against us...

- so, the Finns strike back this year..!


Ontario, you have been warned...

:p

FinnFreak - :)

[Ammoguy]

Originally posted by FinnFreak
:D:up: GREAT!!!

Now that I know the dates, I can book the flights..!



:great:

...but! :sad: Now that I know the dates, I can´t book the flights.. Reality sucks! :scowl:

ISAE 2004 (www.isae2004.org)

But still, Ontario should be aware, more Finns coming! :] Sooner or later! :D

[FinnFreak]

Ahh... Applied Ethology's getting in the way..? :sad:

BUT - look on the bright side:

...you'll be able to give us the latest vet-jokes..!

:p

FinnFreak - ;)

[Annette]

Cool!!! I wish I could go... but I have exam in August... Next year..maybe:p

[ShaniaKoukla]

Wow that's near my birthday~!! Can you take pictures there??

[cftennisnative3]

well, if i can go (most unlikely) I would :(. I wanna meet you guys sometime, are you going to go Marika? :dunno:

[Little Shania]

Man!! I hope I can go!! :) gonna take a miracle!!! August 7 is my 20th bday hehe :D:D:D

[ShaniaKoukla]

August 12th is my 22nd, I wonder where SHania will be since it is also Eja's birthday.

[ShaniaIsAwesome]

I am sooo excited for this!!!!!! I told my mom about it awhile ago and she is actually thinking about taking me!!!! I'm gonna have to work my butt off this summer for the money, but its worth it!!!! Does anyone know if it costs to go there?

[Tracy Hautanen]

Hey Everyone,

It is so nice to see so many people excited about the upcoming convention. Please keep watching our site for updates, and I will post as often as I can. I hope to have more information available to everyone in the near future. If you would like to see pictures from last years convention, you can see those on our website.

Take care, and I hope I have the opportunity to meet many of you this summer.

Tracy

[hockey_fan]

Thanks for the information Tracy.
It's nice of you to keep us up to date! :D

It was a pleasure to meet you in Toronto, early in the tour! :)

[ShaniaKoukla]

YEs I think Tracy handed me a brochure at the Oct 2nd show!!! Thanks for that by the way :)

[razorbac]

:cool: I hope I can go

[1Yukari2]

Originally posted by ShaniaKoukla
YEs I think Tracy handed me a brochure at the Oct 2nd show!!! Thanks for that by the way :)


THANKS!!!!!!!!!!:)

[ShaniaKoukla]

Reg what are you thanking me for??? Are you going to the convention?? I really want to go!

[Ammoguy]

Originally posted by FinnFreak
Ahh... Applied Ethology's getting in the way..? :sad:

BUT - look on the bright side:

...you'll be able to give us the latest vet-jokes..!

:p

FinnFreak - ;)

Yep! :sad:

I hope there ain´t lots of human doctors around... :p

Real doctors treat more than one species!! :p

[FinnFreak]

Originally posted by Ammoguy


Yep! :sad:

I hope there ain´t lots of human doctors around... :p

Real doctors treat more than one species!! :p
:shocked:


:funny: :funny: :funny:

Thanks, Matti..! - I needed that laugh..! :D:up:


FinnFreak - :)

[Tracy Hautanen]

Hey Everyone!!

Keep an eye on our site because we are about to post the registration form.................WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO REGISTER!!

Tracy

[ShaniaKoukla]

ooooooo I'll be the first hehe

[Tracy Hautanen]

I hope everyone has had the opportunity to visit our site and see some of the events we have to offer during the convention. We we be adding a few more as we confirm things.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tracy

[sony_at]

meeting a bunch of other crazy-for-Shania-fans sounds really great to me :-) I wish I could go there, but I don't know if I can get off work and of course there is this litte questionmark spinning round and roung in my head: where do I get the money from (don't tell me to rob a bank :-)

btw: is anyone else from Austria planning to join this big event?

[Roger]

Here is the tentative schedule copied from the STC site:

Thursday, August 5, 2004
- Early Registration Event at the Shania Twain Centre ... watch for more details ...

Friday, August 6, 2004
- Shania Twain Centre visit
- Millson Forestry Tour
- Cedar Meadows Wildlife Tour
- Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour
- Lunch
- Uncle Buck's Trout Farm
- Dinner at the McIntyre Curling Club
- Evening Entertainment

Saturday, August 7, 2004
- Fun 9-Hole Golf Tournament (clubs will be available) including many games/contests for everyone
- Lunch at golf course
- Trivia Contest
- Evening Banquet and ..... AUCTION!!
- Auction items to be posted soon

Sunday, August 8, 2004
- Fairwell Brunch


Roger

[ShaniaKoukla]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sounds like an amazing time, what a great way to celebrate the days before my b-day I wanna go!!!!!!1

[FinnFreak]

...my registration form is on it's way...

:D

...see you there..!

FinnFreak - :)

[Roger]

Originally posted by FinnFreak
...my registration form is on it's way...

:D

...see you there..!

FinnFreak - :)

See you there, John! Haven't sent my registration form yet but I will.

BTW if you want to stay at the Days Inn (the former Senator Hotel), which has always been the main place fans stay, better make a reservation now. I heard there is something else going on in Timmins that weekend so they may fill up. In fact, when I reserved last night, one booking source had already filled up their allotment of rooms at this hotel. Of course, if they should move the fan con to another set of dates, this caution does not apply.


Roger

[FinnFreak]

heh, Days Inn reservations confirmed...

:D

FinnFreak - :)

[gaudreaur]

Hi, this is Ren from the STC and fan convention planning committee.

It's nice to see all of you interested in coming to the 2nd annual convention.

You really will have the time of your life and make friendships that will last forever.

You`ve all seen the schedule the Roger's posted, but keep in mind that it's still early and things will surely be added.

Start practicing your Shania Trivia and start saving money for the Shania memorabilia auction.

I`m looking foward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Ren Gaudreau
Shania Trivia Master and Auctionneer
and volunteer.

[~Lisa~]

Sounds like fun!:D Now I gotta convince my aunt to take me in August instead of July....lol

[BIGShaniafan]

Originally posted by sony_at
meeting a bunch of other crazy-for-Shania-fans sounds really great to me :-) I wish I could go there, but I don't know if I can get off work and of course there is this litte questionmark spinning round and roung in my head: where do I get the money from (don't tell me to rob a bank :-)


ohh..I can relate to does feelings

On one hand I am happy to have such a meeting of a bunch of 'crazy Shania fans' :bounce::bounce:
but
on the other hand..I think I can't go :sad:

[tower]

Now wait for it....


Steady...


Drum roll...


I HAVE JUST REGISTERED FOR THE 2004 FAN CONVENTION :D

CU ALL IN TIMMINS IN AUGUST!

[Roger]

I will do as best I can to be with you all this August, if I can not make it I can assure you, my heart will be with you all.

If you're not there Tom, you will be greatly missed!

Roger

[tower]

If you're not there Tom, you will be greatly missed!

Roger


Well you know me Roger, if I can get there I will, but I am between jobs again and my EX is trying to sell our house from under me, so a busy time ahead I fear, plus I am going to the Grand Rapids Concert and on to Timmins for the May Run weekend this May and I am just not sure if I can do that twice in one year.

But at least I know I will not be re-joining the RRS Ernest Shackleton in Aberdeen July 28th for a further 4 month 'cruise' so my calendar is free....

Watch this space!

[tower]

OOOPS never done that before, clicked on the edit post button and deleted everything and then typed a new post over the top.... Silly me.

It is because I am so excited now I have registered for the 2004 Fan Convention.


CU all in Timmins fellow Twainiacs... :D

[Roger]

Hey Tom! Does that mean you are coming after all? Or just that you registered in the hope you will be available? If so, that is truly a case of putting your money where your mouth is!! Such dedication!!

Roger

[Shaniabomber99]

I wish I could go:( But I am saving hard for Canada 2009 I hope this STCFC Will be still gong in 2009 :)

Carley

[resessions]

I wish I could go:( But I am saving hard for Canada 2009 I hope this STCFC Will be still gong in 2009 :)

Carley

Don't you worry about that Carly. Shania's legacy will be like Elvis, The Beatles, Elton etc. I predict the STC will become the Graceland or Abby Road equivalent. The Shania fan base and the Annual Shania Twain Fan Convention will live on for years and years to come. If 2009 is the year you'll attend the fan convention in Timmins, then I'll see you there !!!!! :D

[tower]

Hey Tom! Does that mean you are coming after all? Or just that you registered in the hope you will be available? If so, that is truly a case of putting your money where your mouth is!! Such dedication!!

Roger

Hi Roger, I am in Timmins right now, and paid in full the registration fee in person. Bob and I were given the close up and personal tour by Tracy, and they have done so much work.

We have now a very good idea of the entertainment lined up for the first and last days of this years convention and I can tell you this is going to eclpse even last years event!

Wish I could tell you more, but this is one for the GIRLS, so go for it Ladies, get your registrations in today. I promise you will not regret it. Tracy showed us some of the Auction items and gosh they are SO SPECIAL, I saw Grace's dontations too.

The new exhibits are stunning and there is so many items that have been donated by us fans, even some items I passed on to the centre a while are on display.

Bob has just joined me, so I will be very interested to see how he gets round the 'don't tell anyone' request from Tracy :)

I will be posting a heap of photo's on the Deerhurst thread today if I can and also on the Grand Rapids thread.

[tower]

Last year I posted “how do you beat this” well this year the Centre has just blown us out of the water with the Joy and fun filled days and nights, moving us to the core. We have shared and enjoyed each other’s company, laughed and cried, danced and sang our self to exhaustion. By the Sunday Morning many of us were hoarse and stiff from taking over Shania’s UP! Tour stage as ours on the Saturday night in the McIntyre Arena.


We climbed all over it, under it, round it like little children let loose in a toy shop, during the Karaoke there was JD and Cory leading us into “If your not in it for Love” and JD is showing us the drum line part and asked for 12 people to join him and local singer’s Suzy Q and Tony on stage…. Well about 40 of us ended up on stage the rest taking the pictures which I hope you will see online very shortly.


The music started and we danced and sang until the drum line… Then 80 or 90 odd pairs of hands did the Air Drum thing raising both hands with our imaginary drum sticks above our heads as if our very life depended on getting it right.


JD Blair gasped “Man you guy’s are GOOD – you should have been touring with us” and we were good, very very good. We owned that stage for over 3 hours singing our hearts out to the giant twin video screens, playing our air guitars and keyboards and strings, waking the walk, strutting and posing.


One person was so good at the Shania strut she liked to do during the song “Come on Over” we all just fell in line and we had a giant conga thing going around the lower level of the stage. Nothing was planned but Richard did the Shadow dance and that was so special as he hammed it up during “In my Car I’ll be the Driver” with huge cut out words, a pony tail and some Scot’s guy in a Kilt trying to shut him off with a “Golden Remote” he had won earlier in the evening.


Though the central section which had been a rental had gone we still had a facsimile of the quick changing room Shania used during the concert and Richard and I used it to change me into a spare pair of pants I had brought along. What he did NOT know was I had the radio mic with me and by the time Richard hit the dance floor the VJ had lined up the request and I announced Richard up front and central as the opening lines to “Man I feel like a Woman” blasted out from the Video Screens. As Shania sang the song Richard in his new “skirt” hammed it up again reducing us all too helpless piles of human laughter.

I won a very special “Nailed to the floor” award (Long story, will tell it soon) the Pair of Boots made a shadow dance appearance during the Boots Video. So many special Fan friendly moments this is going to take an age to post. More soon. I genuinely think that the band members and Shania’s sister were moved by our presence and the Joy and happiness that only Shania’s fans can share when we hang out together.


I will never forget the past few days and I am moved to tears even now typing this up 2 days after the main convention events. Still to come, JD Blair’s Drum clinic, the very, very special JP Aube personal video Eilleen sent to him whom he shared with us, the Trout farm where I caught my very first fish and much much more.

[Troll]

Thanks for the review Tom

[dreamer]

wow wish i was there can't wait till next year!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GorToma]

thank you tom :D:D

[tower]

On the Sunday morning Aug 8th we were all invited to a free Brunch by JP Aube, he gave Shania her first paying job as a drive in operator at the local MacDonald's and then melted when she demanded a Job for the Band Longshot.

Though Eilleen had barely turned 17 she had all the paperwork in place and a deal was stuck. Well in 1996 JP got a big award for services to the City of Timmins and Eilleen was invited, but could not attend as she was in Japan at the time.

So she recorded a short video, which STILL to this day had a huge emotional effect on him as he shared it with us all.

Shania, after thanking JP for all he had done for her and pretty well making it clear she regarded him as family sang a verse of Betty Middler's classic song "You are the Wind beneath my wings". You could of heard a pin drop in the room as over 80 of us fought back the tears, Eilleen's voice touching our very core.

Such a sweet and tender thing to do, for a very nice Gentleman - a true friend to Eilleen and her fan's.

[tower]

TimminsWeb is hosting these pictures of the 2004 convention. Enjoy!

http://www.timminsweb.ca/shania/

[GorToma]

thank you tom :D

[Troll]

Thanks for the pics

[Shania19]

Thanks Tom for the link,, woah many many great pics!!!! :) :) :)

[Roger]

TimminsWeb is hosting these pictures of the 2004 convention. Enjoy!

http://www.timminsweb.ca/shania/

Thanx so much Tom! I took 344 photos myself. When we are home for good next week, I will start posting some of them.


Roger

[cftennisnative3]

wow..thanks! :D

[cftennisnative3]

well..i tired to view but i have dial-up and it takes so long....:uhh:.

I'd recommend thumbnails for the images, so only the small version is shown and i could pick which ones i want the full version of :)..otherwise I could never view them all

[Paul]

Great pics!!! Wow the bus is huge from the side view......

Nice avatar Roger!

Paul:)

[tower]

well..i tired to view but i have dial-up and it takes so long....:uhh:.

I'd recommend thumbnails for the images, so only the small version is shown and i could pick which ones i want the full version of :)..otherwise I could never view them all
Sorry about that but I have no access to Timmins Web and the Thumbnails you see when the page is first opened loads the full sized images in behind so this is for Broadband access only. However Roger has over 300 photo's he will share with us all soon which will I am sure have dial up connections in mind and as we all know he takes a very good picture indeed.

I did not take any photo's of the Saturday night dance as I was goining to have way to much fun myself, so Roger will post them too and let you see how the UP! Stage should really be used when Shania is not touring with it!

[tower]

Thanx so much Tom! I took 344 photos myself. When we are home for good next week, I will start posting some of them.


Roger
I can't wait Roger as I took none on the last night at the McIntyre and my ones are too large for dial up users.

[Roger]

Okay I took 344 but a third of them are junk (flubs, repetitions, etc.) Of the remaining I will just make a judicious selection of the better ones. I'll add some as teasers today but we are away again tomorrow so I will have to do the rest next week.


Roger

[tower]

I won two special awards at this years Fan Convention. The first was the Golden Remote award for the most embarassing moment during the Convention and NO I will not go into the details of that one on the web!!!! But it was fun and raised a good laugh in the Zoo late Friday night.

The Second and largest prize was a plank of wood with two Boots nailed to it. This "Nailed to the floor" award related to the fact that I did not find out the "Big Surprise" despite being in Timmins a clear 2 weeks before the Convention started.

The STC put Chris AKA "timmins4ever" on me to keep me out of mischief. He stuck to me like glue along with his girl Sab leaving me little room to go poking about in search of the big secret.

Chris was so good infact by the start of the Fan Convention we were being called Shrek and Donkey by the locals!

So here are the pictures of the "nailed to the floor award" in addition to the special name badge given to those who came back a second time to Timmins from Fan Convention 2003. The other name badge and STC lanyard is very special too as it gives you a years pass to enjoy the Shania Twain Centre and the Gold Mine Tour as many times as you wish over the full year ahead.

As Richard, Bob and myself found out with the Flanagin Girls in Grand Rapids it also seems to open doors as everyone thinks you are Shania's road crew!!!!!!

Note on the reverse of the "Nailed to the floor" award the carved letter 'R' is for Ren and off course the centre signature by Tracy does say surprise, they got me good this year...... Grrrrr

[gaudreaur]

Here is the text of the presentation we made to Tom on Sat night.. composed by myself. I'm not much of a poet though.

The first ever

nailed to the floor award

It`s hard to keep a good man down
When he’s running all over town.
To bars and barbershops he strolled
To discover the secret and to be told

You can`t keep a guy like big tom down
When he’s stomping all over town
The big surprise he did not find
But a sheila or two, weren’t they so kind

All the staff at the STC
Had fun and games with Tom you see.
We spent our time, online to cause
Our good friend Tom to stop and pause

And think about this big huge secret,
It was bigger than a breadbox, but Tom still couldn`t see it.
He even walked by it once or twice
or so we told him, weren’t we nice.

So here we have a little award
to give Tom before he ends up in a psych ward.
I hope he’ll be proud and show it to
Everyone he went begging to.

And with these words I do present,
A gift to Tom, I hope he won`t resent.
We give him this wonderful award.
Now he truly is nailed to the board!

[tower]

Okay I took 344 but a third of them are junk (flubs, repetitions, etc.) Of the remaining I will just make a judicious selection of the better ones. I'll add some as teasers today but we are away again tomorrow so I will have to do the rest next week.


Roger
Well I know they will be worth the wait Roger, particulary the Saturday night ones when we all went hyper and took over the UP! Stage like some giant play pen for adults and children alike. Man did we have fun with that. Thank you Eilleen and Mutt, Cory and JD and xxxx for you all had a big hand in this years Fan Convention. Sal and David Hartt (Longshot keyboards) too for the great tails about life on the road with Eilleen, none of which of course will end up on the web.

For what is said here and seen here, stays in Timmins until next year's Fan Convention when we get to do it all over again!!!!!

[tower]

Here is the text of the presentation we made to Tom on Sat night.. composed by myself. I'm not much of a poet though.



The first ever


nailed to the floor award

SNIP......

And with these words I do present,
A gift to Tom, I hope he won`t resent.
We give him this wonderful award.
Now he truly is nailed to the board!


OK you Gottcha'ed me good Ren, but next year I am going to be far more inventive, sneaky and very good at being BAD! Oh yes bring it on.... ;)

By then timmins4ever will be a married man and out of my hair, so you will need a new Donkey to keep Shrek down :)

That was a really good editorial the Daily Press gave us about the Shania Fans taking over downtown Timmins... Nice one.

[Roger]

I won two special awards at this years Fan Convention. The first was the Golden Remote award for the most embarassing moment during the Convention and NO I will not go into the details of that one on the web!!!! But it was fun and raised a good laugh in the Zoo late Friday night.


Hmm, how do we talk about your most embarassing moment without offense (including to you Tom)? I'll say this. You are actually a very lucky guy. As you know, I stationed myself right across from the little stage area so I could get good closeups of all the karaoke singers. So when the incident occurred, I should have been poised to get it all recorded for posterior, oops, I mean posterity. LOL!! BUT at that precise moment I was changing batteries in my camera -as the first one had just died. So I lost the chance at one of the best blackmail pictures of all time!


Roger

[Roger]

I think we need to acknowledge that Tom was actually an honorable guy in all this. As I understand it, by accident he learned what the big secret was the day before yet he kept it to himself thus preserving the surprise for everyone. Thanx Tom!


Roger

[cftennisnative3]

Sorry about that but I have no access to Timmins Web and the Thumbnails you see when the page is first opened loads the full sized images in behind so this is for Broadband access only. However Roger has over 300 photo's he will share with us all soon which will I am sure have dial up connections in mind and as we all know he takes a very good picture indeed.

I did not take any photo's of the Saturday night dance as I was goining to have way to much fun myself, so Roger will post them too and let you see how the UP! Stage should really be used when Shania is not touring with it!
allright...cool :). thanks. :up::up::up:....:D

[Shaniabomber99]

Cool Seems like Fan Con will still be going for sure I'll try to come to the next one if it still is in 2009....

GET READY TIMMINS I'M COMING IN 2009!

Carley

[tower]

Cool Seems like Fan Con will still be going for sure I'll try to come to the next one if it still is in 2009....

GET READY TIMMINS I'M COMING IN 2009!

Carley
Oooh Carley you will have the best time ever and I do hope I am still living here so I can show you around. Roger, sometimes it is good that the camera does not work. I worked very hard for that golden remote award, but would gladly give it on to some lucky person in 2005!

It's a Timmins thing, and that is all I have to say about that..... ;)

[tower]

Shania Twain Fanclub :: Message Boards



Current replies for: "In Honour of the STC & Fan Con
2004" 1 2 next >



In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 9:31 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


Hi all, my name is Ted and I am from Stratford,
Ontario. I have recently returned from my first trip to
Timmins, Ontario where I attended the 2nd annual Shania
Twain Worldwide Fan Convention. I have spent the last
few days trying to comprehend all that transpired during
my whirlwind weekend of activities in Timmins. This
account could be rather lengthy, so I hope you will bear
with me to the end, and that I can do justice to this
extraordinary event.

First off I would like to tip my UP! ball cap to Tracy
Hautanen and the entire staff of the STC. You are truly
an outstanding and exemplary group of people. Tracy is
the lifeline and driving force behind the STC and the
fan con. It is due to her hard work, long hours, and
great vision that the centre and the fan con are
becoming such great success stories. As with any
successful organization the person at the top is only as
good as the staff that they are surrounded by. There is
no exception here as all the staff involved with the STC
is top of the line. Tracy’s right hand men are Will,
Ren, and Frank…what a hilarious trio! The four of them
blend beautifully together with their unyielding sense
of humour. When you see them interact and work together,
you immediately sense the wonderful bond of friendship
they share.

There are a few other individuals involved with the fan
con that I would like to pay tribute to also. Debbie is
the lady who I believe is in charge of the Timmins city
website, and is involved with the launching of the new
STC site. All I can say about Debbie is she is one
special lady. She did lots of photographing for the STC
all throughout the convention. I wish we would have had
more time together, Debbie.

Shirley works behind the counter of the STC gift shop,
and I would like to thank her for her thoughtfulness and
assistance. I was very interested in the artwork of
Natasha Mrkovich, which is on display and sold at the
STC, and Shirley was very informative in filling me in
on her art. Natasha attended last year’s fan con, but
unfortunately couldn’t make the trip this year. I hope
one day of having the opportunity of meeting Natasha.

Next up is Frank, and I can’t remember his exact title
(sorry Frank), but he is one of the city officials who
mingled with us during the weekend. I had the
opportunity to speak with him very briefly on Thursday
night, and was very impressed with his hospitality. I
planned on giving you my e-mail Frank, but I didn’t get
the chance to speak with you again. Next time you visit
Stratford you are welcome to “come on over” to my home.

Lastly I would like to thank the mayor of Timmins for
addressing us on the Saturday night after dinner. You
made us all feel very welcome.


I think I will do this in multiple posts as there is
quite a bit more to say…hope you all (or as Tracy might
say y’all) will hang with me through this novel.


Cont’d…..




Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 9:34 PM Modified: 08.11.04 10:14 PMnew
reply


Fan Con 2004 cont’d….


Before continuing I would like to mention that I did
not keep any sort of journal to record events or names
of people involved in the fan con. This being said
forgive me if I get any names wrong, or forget to
mention anyone that I met. I am doing this strictly from
memory, and mine having 40+ years of wear & tear is not
in the fine working order that it once was. This segment
I will reveal a tiny bit of some of the weekends
highlights. Onward ho….

Thursday night’s highlight was the native drummers.
There were three ladies and one man, and they enriched
us with their music/chants, and culture. This was an
interesting way to start the convention as obviously the
native culture and way of life is a large part of what
shaped a young Eilleen Twain’s life. It was great the
way these guests involved us in some of their rituals.
The man spoke at the end and he attempted to convey to
us the importance of the native culture to our country
and our history, and that we live together in
harmony…very good lesson.

Friday’s first highlight came in the morning commencing
with our grand tour of the Shania Twain Centre main
display area. If you have never had the opportunity to
come see this before I have one word for you that best
sums it up…WOW!!!! I am not going to spoil it and tell
you the details as you really need to do yourself a
favour and make the trip to the STC. I will tell you
that the displays are simply marvellous and
breathtaking! Tracy’s creativity and artistic sense is
very well displayed here…she deserves a standing ovation
for this alone. As well as seeing the many outfits,
awards, photos etc of Shania, you will take a seat in a
small theatre and view never before seen footage of
Shania…it is a very moving video, and will bring a tear
or two to your eye.

Next came the backstage tour. Here we were privileged
to have an UP close and personal look at Shania’s UP
tour wardrobe. It was all meticulously arranged by her
extremely talented wardrobe girl, Ariane Martin (hope I
got that right?). Oh and note to Liz and
Sally….Minnieshania looked beautiful…I knew right away
where she came from…LOL!

The afternoon was occupied by three different
adventures…Gold Mine Tour; Millson Forestry Tour; or
Cedar Meadows Wildlife Tour. Believe me as a first time
attendee this was an extremely difficult decision. I
have an immense love of animals, but decided to join my
good friends Derek and Kelly on the forestry tour. I
made this choice also because of the connective thread
this has with Eilleen Twain’s life. Our tour guide was
Mark, and he immediately struck me as a very friendly
and genuinely good natured man. Mark was very
informative and made the tour very interesting, blending
his vast knowledge of forestry and nature, and mixing in
his wonderful sense of humour. Mark gave us a very
special souvenir part way into our tour. He explained
that earlier he had visited a forest area in which the
Twain crew had planted trees years ago. He cut down a
tree stump and divided it into pieces to give to each of
us…as he explained, who knows Shania herself may have
planted it…you’re darn right I kept my chunk! Thanks,
Mark!

cont'd....




Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 9:53 PM Modified: 08.11.04 10:19 PMnew
reply


Fan Con 2004 cont’d

In the afternoon we went fishing at Uncle Buck’s Trout
Pond. Some very funny moments occurred here amongst our
avid fishermen and women. One highlight was Colleen’s
first classic cast that hooked her in the
puss*willows…LOL! Rivalling that was Tom catching a fish
for the first time in his life…and it was HUGE and
MASSIVE!!!! It was a shame when we found out through
Colleen’s inquiry to Uncle Buck, that he didn’t have
souvenir t-shirts for sale in his trailer.

Friday evening after dinner the stage was unvailed to
us with lights flashing and Shania's voice
hollering..."ARE YOU READY TIMMINS!"...leading into
MIFLAW. You should have felt the energy and excitement
as everyone made there way down to the arena floor and
UP to the stage...it was electric! Everyone raised their
arms, while dancing and singing at the top of their
lungs. We found out later that Carrie Anne was
witnessing all of our joy firsthand, without our
knowledge of her being there. I can't say for sure if
it's true, but apparently she had a few tears in her
eyes while watching.

The next thrill was the BIG, HUGE, and MASSIVE surprise
unvailed...SHANIA'S TOUR BUS...WOW!! What an
unbelievable thrill to actually walk through and see the
home on wheels where Shania spent the better part of a
year. I won't go into detail on this because many of you
will want to see it for yourself next year.

Friday evening was capped of by our karaoke night at
the Central Tavern. Great fun was had by all. I hope she
won’t mind me saying but even Roger’s wife Kay was UP
dancing on her chair. I have never sung karaoke in my
life but there I was up at the mike with Charlie belting
out “I’m Gonna Getcha Good!”…good thing I couldn’t hear
my own voice…my apologies to those who could! My most
memorable part of the night was Richard kicking us off
with a lively rendition of MIFLAW…you rock Richard! Tom
was a highlight reel all himself with his Scottish
humour and spontaneity. It was very nice to have Elise
and her husband Jay (sorry for calling you Greg that
night) join us for the party. Your pictures don’t do
justice to you, Elise…I can see why Roddy and Cory were
fooled that night at the JLC in London.

Saturday morning we arrived at the STC at 8am to find
our two guests of distinct honour had finally arrived,
after the previous day of unfortunate delays. I’m sure
you know by now those two distinguished gentlemen were
Cory Churko and JD Blair. Everyone was so happy to see
them safe and sound, and ready to join in the
festivities.

Amongst ourselves we chose a partner for the golf
outing. I paired up with Bryce. Frank explained the
rules and before we headed out to the course he said
they were going to make a draw. They were going to
select one of the pairings out of a hat and that group
would have the great honour of having Cory join them in
their round of golf…how cool! I was over scouting out
some of the stuff in the gift area and I hear Frank say
“Bryce & Ted”…we’ll I almost fell over! We teed up on
the 1st hole and joining us were Frenchy, Lyn, Olga, and
Rudi…yes all six of us were able to enjoy the company of
Cory for 3 wonderful hours. I will not go into details,
suffice it to say he is one heck of a wonderful human
being! Thank you for your time, friendship, and for your
candid replies to our many questions. This is a moment
none of us will ever forget.

Our group never made it to the 9th but apparently JD
was stationed there auditioning our extremely talented
singers...I think he was very impressed with Richard!



Fan Con 2004 to be cont’d





Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 9:54 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


Fan Con 2004 cont’d

Saturday continued with a visit to Shania’s high
school. It was very cool to know she walked those same
halls, and sat in those same classrooms many years ago.
Tracy shared some very good stories with us during the
visit.

Trivia contest was highly entertaining with everyone
participating, contestants and audience. I still think
Ren should have been singing the lyrics though…lol. For
me the best highlight of the trivia was Ren, Tracy, and
Will exchanging their good natured humour. The best
moment came during Ren and Will’s disagreement over
where Shania’s tour bus was stationed before it made the
trek to Timmins. Believe it or not we found out during
this hilarious exchange of wit that Ren and Will are
actually brothers…LOL!!!...sorry you had to be there to
appreciate it. Congratulations to the new reigning champ
FV (better memorize those lyrics Lyn).

The evening consisted of the auction from which
proceeds will go to improvements and enhancements to the
STC. It was a huge success. Another great announcement
was that $1000.00 was donated by the conventioneers to
the local food bank…wooohooo!!

Cory and JD spent the entire evening at the arena
mingling with everyone. They signed autographs, posed
for pics, talked, and downright partied with us! I had
to laugh at Cory’s line when he approached the
microphone, after a small army of us got up on Shania’s
stage and proceeded to belt out (karaoke style) “Whose
Bed Have Your Boots Been Under”. He said “You guys were
good…no you guys were really good!” OK, I think Cory
must have been on the bus at the time of our
performance.

The best moment of the night was just before Cory and
JD’s departure. They were brought UP on THE STAGE to
lead us in “If Your Not In It For Love….I’m Outta Here”.
They asked for 12 drummers to join them on stage to
simulate the live concert. I think about 20 of our very
willing group bounded up on stage. JD laid down the drum
beat for the crew, and much to him and Cory’s amazement
they picked it up right away with their hand claps. Just
before the beginning of the song Cory informed us that
he had to take his place on a raised part of the stage,
because he had to open with his solo guitar riff. It was
so cool there was Cory lettin’ er rip with his air
guitar...Kodak moment for sure! What an unbelievable
close to our night with two of our magnificent “Fabulous
Falls”…you couldn’t wish for two finer gentlemen.

The evening concluded with the “Much More Music” Video
Dance Party. Shania performed all her fabulous videos in
mesmerizing fashion on 2 giant screens. The music was
pumped to the max and everyone was in heaven dancing on
the floor and UP on the stage. We got a break in between
videos to experience the now famous “Shadow Dancer”…you
have to see it to believe it! What a great night!!!!

I’m sorry to say but I can’t comment on Sunday’s
Farewell Brunch and JD’s drum clinic as I left early in
the morning. I will finish with a final post with some
individual shout outs to some of the wonderful people I
met on this glorious weekend.




Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 9:57 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


Fan Con 2004 cont’d…

I would like to make some personal mentions to end this
and again I’m very sorry if I miss anyone that I met or
if I mess up a name…again I am doing this from memory…

Roger & Kay…wonderful to meet you Kay, and I’m so happy
to hear you are planning on attending again next
year!...Roger you are the 1st person from the fanclub
that I had the pleasure of meeting a few months
ago…thank you so much for encouraging me to attend this
amazing event…your friendship has great meaning to me,

Kelly & Derek…thank you for getting the party started a
few weeks ago…you really got us psyched and raring to
go…Kelly…it’s so wonderful to talk to someone who really
deep down understands what it is all about.

Frenchy, Lyn, Kim, and Colleen…you are the BEST!....I
love you gals!

Tom…there isn’t any amount of money the STC could pay
for advertising that could top your valiant efforts at
recruiting new conventioneers…your passion and flair are
unequalled.

Richard…you ARE the life of the party!...your enthusiasm
and zest for life is infectious…I couldn’t imagine a
Shania Fan Con without you!

Grace…so happy to finally meet you…you are such a sweet
girl…thank you for sharing your remarkable concert pics,
a true delight to see!...you should be the official pro
photographer for Shania & the STC!

Charlie…karaoke was a blast…I hope we have a lifelong
friendship…next year hopefully Kristy & Steve will join
this circle of friends.

Bryce, Olga, Rudi (along with Frenchy & Lyn)…what we
shared on Saturday will bond us forever

Eric…I heard a lot about you from Roger prior to the fan
con…everything he said is true…you are a wonderful man.

Debbie & Jack…such a pleasure to meet you
both…Debbie…thank you immensely for sharing your very
personal experience at Sunrise, with me… along with the
emotional pics…I’m sorry for shedding a few tears on
your shoulder…I couldn’t help myself, what you shared
with me touched my heart so much…thank you also for
showing me your absolutely stunning cross
stitches…WOW!!!

Betsy…19 concerts…you are a true Shania fan…and a lovely
lady!

Andrea…you are truly a sweetheart…you are full of life
and fun!




Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (gbted1)
Posted: 08.11.04 10:01 PM Modified: 08.11.04 11:27 PMnew
reply


Fan Con 2004 cont’d

Joyce & Wendy…nothing beats fellow Shania fans…unless of
course you’re also a Packer fan!...look forward to our
keeping in touch.

Ken…nice to meet you…enjoyed all your great
stories…especially the Sara Evans and Teri Clark
stuff...

John & Jaana (along with Grace)…the great distance you
travelled shows you are truly dedicated Shania fans…you
reinforce Shania’s dream & reality of international
appeal.

Chris…I have admired your work on the various websites
for a while…cool to meet the man behind all the great
pics!

Paulette & Lynn…nice to have some of the wonderful local
people involved

Ben & Irene…our time spent together was brief but loved
our chats on the bus!

Janette…speaking of bus…here’s my absolute favourite
Timmin’s city bus driver!!

Norm…and here’s the friendliest non city bus
driver!...any relative of Frank’s has to be a good guy!

Jason…you’re energy, enthusiasm, and youth was a great
boost for the fan con!

Denis & Paul…it was great to spend some time with the
two of you Sat. evening

FV, Alan, Bonnie, Linda…great to meet some of the
passionate fans from all the boards!

Ren, Will, Frank, Luke…what can I say…you guys were a
blast!...Frank…thank you so much for having Janette stop
at The Maple Leaf hotel, and giving us the chance to
snap some pics of a legendary landmark in Timmins!

I know there are some people I’ve missed as I didn’t get
the chance to meet everyone…I hope you will all be there
next year so we will have another chance.

Tracy…I don’t know how to put it into words to thank
you…we praise Shania for making this all come true…but
to be honest you are as big a part of it as Shania…you
are responsible for joining together and expanding this
beautiful circle of friendship and love, and it is for
this that I extend to you my utmost admiration…you like
Eilleen are a true credit to your community…and we love
you both!!! I think the most fitting tribute was the
roses and thank you card Tracy received from Shania
herself…that says more than a million words could ever
express.


Ted




Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (Roger)
Posted: 08.11.04 10:29 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


Ted, what a wonderful summation! If we had not been
away this week and about to go away again I might have
attempted something similar but I could never have
injected the feeling into it that you did. You have
rapidly established yourself as the heart, well, one of
the hearts, of this club. I am so glad you decided to
go to the fan con and enjoyed it so much.


Roger



Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (alaindupuis)
Posted: 08.11.04 11:05 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


thanks so much for that, it was great made me feel like
i was there, wish i could have been, at leats i know
that there is karoke so next year when i can i can
supply everyone with earplugs for when i sing LOL
~~ALAIN DUPUIS~~



Please don't dread tomorrow, because tomorrow never
comes!! Shania Twain is going nowhere but >p! from
here!



Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (brit423)
Posted: 08.11.04 11:33 PM Modified: Nevernew reply


Ted you just saved me a whole lot of typing! Everything
you said is true and comes from the heart! Frenchy and I
definitely include you as one of our new dear friends.
As for the golf came....we kissed Frank after the
tournie to thank him for picking us to play in your
group along with Cory. The stories he tells are so funny
and really gives you an insight into what it's like
being on the road with Shania! All in all an awesome
weekend and will now start trying to pay off my credit
cards from this last year of touring and start saving
for FanCon 2005! As for the lyrics forget it! When
they're spoken and not sang it's a write off for me! At
least I know I was the first trivia champ and that's
good enough for me! Hope to see you Friday....
Lyn



Re: In Honour of the STC & Fan Con 2004 (stc)
Posted: 08.12.04 1:09 AM Modified: Nevernew reply


Awesome post Ted.

It was great meeting you as well.

I look forward to seeing you next year.

Ren

[RJ]

Thanks for the relay, Tom.

Yes, Ted did quite a detailed review. And he gave credit where due, to an unsually large number of people. Some of that's never been done before, such as Shirley and other behind the scenes staff at the STC. Overall, an impressively good job; the more so since it was his first encounter of the STC fan convention.

A couple clarifications.

Will Saari might be suprised to learn he's just Tracy's right hand man, instead of her boss.

Also, Ted mentioned a city official called Frank. Jack Watson was at the convention and is a city official - the City Clerk, and one of the key people who created the proposal for the STC, and helped see it through to completion. He's also Will Saari's boss, who in turn is Tracy's boss. Frank Roch doesn't have the same level of responsibility. He's a tourism coordinator under Will. May also have some role facilitating curling events.

Otherwise, the OFC is lucky to have that kind of reporting from Ted.

[Grace]

Hi ! Sorry to post this here, but does anyone know how I can get in touch with Ted ? I posted a message on OFC but have heard nothing......

Thanks !

GB

[Mizery1]

Does the OFC boards have the option to email members like it does here?

[RJ]

Does the OFC boards have the option to email members like it does here?
It does not, in my experience. I've wanted to a few times, and tried. But they're quite protective of their member confidentiality. Probably because it's a commercial site and there's liability issues, much more than with informal, non-profit mb's. Also, their software is not as user friendly as vBulletin and the software used by some of the band member mb's, like Cory Churko's.

[RJ]

Hi ! Sorry to post this here, but does anyone know how I can get in touch with Ted ? I posted a message on OFC but have heard nothing......

Thanks !

GB
Hi Grace,

Yes, Roger has Ted's email address. He gave it to me when we were considering car pooling options for the Convention. But since Ted didn't give it to me, I don't want to distribute it further without his knowledge. Roger knows him much better and can advise you further on this. I'm not sure if he's home yet from his family vacation. But I've seen him posting pictures etc., at least periodically.

I was going to send an email to Ted, thanking him for his nice review, and adding a couple clarifications of my own. But then I saw Ted already mentioned perusing the other mb's already. So he at least knows about them, even if he doesn't participat there yet.

[Grace]

OK, thanks for the advice Bob :) I'll wait for Roger to get home and ask him if he could pass on the message to Ted that I'm trying to contact him :)

It was a real fun convention. It's a shame you could not join us....... Perhaps next year, eh ? Did you enjoy your other activity ?

GB

[RJ]

OK, thanks for the advice Bob :) I'll wait for Roger to get home and ask him if he could pass on the message to Ted that I'm trying to contact him :)

It was a real fun convention. It's a shame you could not join us....... Perhaps next year, eh ? Did you enjoy your other activity ?

GB
Yes, I'm sure it would've been great fun sharing so many magic moments again. But there are some benefits to lowering other people's expectations of me, as we've discussed in the topic about fans and supporters in detail on Cory's mb. I appreciated your support on that.

Enjoy the other activity? You mean straining a ligament while training for the mountain hiking and climb? Well, I suppose I am enjoying that I started running again yesterday, after a week or two being unable. The mountain trip is coming up in about 3 weeks.

Meanwhile, I could probably send Ted an email to alert him you are trying to contact him. Can I send him your email addy? (I already have it).

[Shaniabomber99]

Oooh Carley you will have the best time ever and I do hope I am still living here so I can show you around. Roger, sometimes it is good that the camera does not work. I worked very hard for that golden remote award, but would gladly give it on to some lucky person in 2005!

It's a Timmins thing, and that is all I have to say about that..... ;)

I hope It still on in 2009 as I would love to go then.

Carley

[tower]

Does the OFC boards have the option to email members like it does here?
Yes but it does not WORK!!!! Lousy software, I doubt I will renew next year, all the Action and news is here or at http://www.shania-twain.org/mb on the Shania Boards.

[aFinn]

In case someone later searches for this thread, I'll put some links to other threads about the 2004 Fan Convention we have here:

Ren's fan convention highlights (http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=32362)

Grace's pictures (http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=32340)

Pictures by Roger (http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=32333)

The Finnish perspective... (http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=32412)

[Roger]

Hi ! Sorry to post this here, but does anyone know how I can get in touch with Ted ? I posted a message on OFC but have heard nothing......

Thanks !

GB


Hi Grace:

I can give Ted your email address and ask him to contact you. Is that acceptable?


Roger