When I was news editor at Northern Life in the 1990s, it was common for people to stop by the Elgin Street office without an appointment, usually on deadline, asking to speak to a reporter.
I called them "wacky walk-ins." These included a clown who later stalked me and gardeners with giant vegetables or deformed potatoes in the shape of animals (or body parts). Someone once found a dime at the bottom of a mustard jar — a health and safety concern.
The walk-ins weren't all wacky. They often had a good story.
One morning in 1993, the receptionist called the newsroom to say a young woman wanted to speak to our entertainment reporter. That was Keith Lacey, who was blessed with the ability to write about entertainment and sports with the same passion.
About an hour later, Lacey returned to the newsroom. "I just talked to someone who is going to be a star."
Sure Keith. I can't remember if he said that someone was beautiful.
That young woman was Shania Twain. The singer from Timmins, who was discovered by an agent at Northern Lights Festival Boréal in the early 1980s, was promoting her debut album, "Shania Twain."
The album was a commercial failure. But Lacey was right. Twain was destined for stardom. Her second album made her a superstar. She launched her first 19th-month tour with two concerts at Sudbury Arena in May 1998. She did not visit us at the Northern Life office that time.
Sudbury has welcomed many famous people including royalty, NASA astronauts, physicist Stephen Hawking, primatologist Jane Goodall, writers such as Margaret Atwood, rock music legends and movie stars, and even historical figures.
Sudbury.com invited readers to submit their stories about close encounters with famous visitors.
"This story is about how my father met a celebrity in February 1989,” Monique Ratelle-Babin wrote. “At that time, the hotel under the Paris Street bridge was called The Senator. It was a beautiful hotel for its time and it offered passes to the general public for use of the pool facilities.
'My father had undergone knee surgery and using the pool every day for physical therapy. He was also legally blind but could make out shapes and colours.
"That particular day he was doing his usual walks in the pool when another man joined him. They had a conversation in the pool that lasted well over an hour. They talked about their families and things in general.
"The man told my father he was a musician and was playing at Sudbury Arena that night. He offered my father free tickets that he politely declined. He explained he couldn’t attend concerts because he had severe allergies to smoke and perfume. The man shook my father's hand and said, 'It was very nice meeting you Peter, my name is Eddie Money.'
"My father had no idea who Eddie Money was. To him he was a nice guy who spent an hour talking to him in a pool."
The American singer and songwriter, who died in 2019, had 11 Top 40 songs in the 1970s and 1980s including "Two Tickets to Paradise."
"As my father was telling me about his encounter that day, I just shook my head and asked, 'why didn’t you take the tickets?' I had been trying to get tickets to that concert but they were sold out.
"This goes to show you that you never know who can be sitting next to you on a bus, a restaurant or even a pool."
Patrick Dodson skipped school Oct. 24, 1991 for an experience he will never forget.
"On that day, a Royal visit was scheduled to tour Science North on one of the many stops throughout Canada. My dad, who was in charge of the Space Place at the time, had managed to get my brother and I special permission to stand at assigned spots on the fourth floor to show the Royals certain exhibits. I remember talking to Prince Charles and Princess Diana."
Dodson and his brother were also at Science North when Prince William and Prince Harry toured the science centre the next day, a visit that was kept from the media.
"But this was not my family's only brush with Royalty. My grandfather, an RCMP officer, had been chosen in 1954 to escort Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, on one of his trips to Canada. For a long time, we only had a black and white photograph of him saluting in the background while Prince Philip shook the hands of an important Ottawa figure. Imagine my surprise and excitement a few years ago, when I'd found newsreel footage showing him (grandfather) clearly and in motion."
Judi Straughan shared her memories of meeting actress and comedian Andrea Martin.
"About 10 years ago, my friend, Lorraine Wilkinson, called me at work and said they were looking for a dresser for actress Andrea Martin. Was I interested?
"Was I interested? Andrea Martin, comic star of SCTV? Andrea Martin a.k.a. Edith Prickley? Andrea Martin, winner of several Tony and Emmy Awards? Film, television and stage actor Andrea Martin?
"Yes, that Andrea Martin. She was coming to town to do a fundraiser at Sudbury Arena, I suspect for Cinéfest.
"Lorraine told me to go to Sudbury Arena about dinner time to run a quick rehearsal. When I arrived, Andrea met me warmly on stage. Giant rollers in her hair made the diminutive star stretch to almost 5-2. She welcomed me so casually, it was like we were going to a pajama party together. Backstage, she had her various costumes lined up in the order needed for the show. She went over each costume and accessories in enough detail so I'd know what to do. What could go wrong?
"Orchestra. Fanfare. The show began. Even though I wasn’t a trained theatre dresser, I knew enough to keep my mouth shut and not talk to the star while dressing her. She was in her performance bubble and paying attention to the sound cues as I did my job.
"And then, something went wrong. Her adrenaline must have been running high or mine was low, she cavorted back on stage without her entire costume on.
"Did the audience notice? Probably not. This was a consummate performer who had the audience eating out the palm of her hand, costume accessories or not.
"You've gotta hand it to Andrea Martin. She’s a class act. And I got to do the Prickly transformation. Awesome!"
Historian and retired university professor Dieter Buse wrote about meeting a controversial union activist.
"In 1970 I met Weir Reid, who had been the recreational director of the Mine Mill Union during the Sudbury union struggles of the 1960s.
"My wife was charmed by Reid's multifaceted knowledge, quoting Shakespeare, identifying flowers, and explaining theatre. Her view was he brought the best out of people with his boisterous approach to life.
"His main interest focused on developing cultural opportunities for youth at the union summer camp through its theatre, film and ballet programs. He suffered under false assertions, but won a highly publicized libel suit against a smearing journalist (Frank Drea, columnist at The Toronto Telegram and later a Progressive Conservative MPP and cabinet minister).
"I worked with Reid on social issues such as housing and labour conditions before his untimely death in August 1971. True to his beliefs, on his death bed in the hospital, he tried to unionize nurses.
"Through Reid I met another famous person, Madeleine Parent, a socially radical feminist. With Parent and Reid, I supported striking women and later had the honour of presenting her for an honorary degree (at Laurentian University).
"How well-known was Reid? I had no idea of his fame nor his infamy in Sudbury and beyond. I was surprised when Time magazine devoted a full-page obituary to him suggesting he had the talents to achieve high posts but chose to dedicate himself to what he called the 'brotherhood of man'."
In fall of 2014, I came back to the office after lunch to see the sidewalk lined with palm trees and signs advertising a performance by jazz legend Chet Baker. Elgin Street was transformed into a Los Angeles strip for the film "Born to Be Blue."
The movie crew was shooting outside Northern Life's office and inside The Townehouse. Sales representative Marie Whitehead, who often got small roles in movies and television shows being filmed in the city, went outside to meet actor Ethan Hawke while the rest of the staff looked through the window. The rest of us were too shy.
So yes, you never know who you might meet in Sudbury.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer and former editor of Northern Life. Memory Lane is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
