A Heritage Minute about Gander and 9/11 is coming, with Rick Mercer as the mayor

Historica Canada posted something of note yesterday on Facebook: a new Heritage Minute is coming, and it’s about Gander and 9/11. In a starring role: Rick Mercer, as former Gander mayor Claude Elliott.

It’s a well-known story already: residents of Gander and neighbouring communities welcomed about 6,000 stranded travellers when American airspace was shutdown after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The musical Come From Away played for more than five years on Broadway, and is still performed around the world.

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and Historica Canada is timing the release of the new Heritage Minute for September.

Deanne Foley is directing the spot.

According to the post, about 200 people showed up to be extras in the production.

The Heritage Minute will likely draw attention not only to the good works of the people of Gander, but also to the remarkable international lounge, a showcase of midcentury design that has survived through the years. It’s arguable that Come From Away and ongoing media coverage has helped the lounge, which had once been placed on a National Trust of Canada list of endangered places, not only stay afloat, but be celebrated as a destination in its own right. If you’re passing through Gander, do put aside a little time to pay a visit to this remarkable space.

Mercer will be portraying Elliott, whose own story has been part of 9/11 narratives about the response since the beginning. Here’s an interview Elliott did in 2016, on the 15th anniversary of the attacks.

Jillian Keiley’s adaptation of Come From Away, meanwhile, will be back for another season in Gander this summer. I imagine it will have an extra charge as September approaches, with another milestone anniversary. The performances conclude Sept. 13 this season.