Timmins Daily Press, Canada - Jun 17, 2008
Editorial
Good for business
There have been many people who have put the name of our city on the map, ensuring the City with the Heart of Gold is known worldwide.
Of course, the first name that comes to mind would be
Shania Twain.
Her international fame has put Timmins in the spotlight on several occasions.
Athletes hailing from Timmins have also mentioned our community a few times and with the level of skill we have in many different sports, that trend will likely continue.
But, there is one man in town who, although known within our own boundaries, isn't a sports star or a singing sensation. Nope, he's a business owner and a pilot and last weekend, he made sure Timmins was a word that will travel not only across Canada but also the Unites States.
Lloyd Richards is known for his involvement in the Young Eagles Program where every year he and other pilots gather at the Timmins airport to offer rides to youngsters interested in airplanes.
It's something he takes great pride in doing. He has even provided air transportation to The Daily Press on occasion when a story not accessible by road or other means needs to be covered.
This past weekend, he played host to more than three dozen aviation enthusiasts who ventured north as part of the first-annual Interprovincial Air Tour. These pilots and their guests arrived in Timmins Friday evening and were treated to Timmins' finest accommodations.
Richards said the city stepped up to the plate and made sure these visitors were welcomed with open arms.
In fact, the city provided the Shania Twain Centre free of charge to our out-of-town visitors and supplied a Timmins Transit bus to transport them to and from their hotels.
With such warm hospitality, it's no wonder many of them expressed great interest in making a return trip to Timmins.
A highlight of the evening was when the group attended The Fishbowl restaurant, Richards told The Daily Press Monday afternoon.
The group ate fish and chips and enjoyed some wine and spirits and had a great time doing so, he said.
Eventually, the fun had to come to an end and the 42 planes and their occupants left Timmins en route to Quebec.
However, Richards said many of the guests left with the sound knowledge that Timmins is a place they would like to return to some day.
These are people from all over North America, people who will bring back their stories of our modest mining community to their hometowns and perhaps inspire visits from their friends and other family members.
No publicity is bad publicity and Richards' efforts to ensure these guests had a good time and the city's gracious donations are certainly good publicity.
"Being able to visit different communities is a big part of the event," Royal Oak, Mich., resident Nancy Walters told The Daily Press copy editor Keith Lacey Friday night while enjoying the Shania Twain Centre. "We're here to fly and have some fun, but we also like meeting people and we've sure met some wonderful people during this trip."
http://www.timminspress.com/Article....aspx?e=1076647
John -