Hard to believe that this little town was the meeting place for this year's G8. It all seems so surreal now. For several days this community was looking like something out of a movie. The military, RCMP and OPP had this town covered. They were in the sky too. Jets circling and choppers zipping back and forth. Strange new people were everywhere, but we knew who they were. All this was to keep us and the world leaders safe from harm....and I can't tell you how good it felt. It was weird, but good. We started off the week with a Pow Wow. The music and the dancers were beautiful...really good medicine for the heart and soul.
As the arrival of leaders and press got near, the town was still quiet. They planned for the worst and hoped for the best. I think we were all holding our breath...unsure of what the protesters had planned. Nervous about what could happen to this beautiful community.
On the eve of the summit's first day the leaders began their arrivals. As the sun set, we watched the leaders of Italy and Russia arrive by helicopter. It gave me goosebumps to watch them fly over the water and land at the resort...what a neat thing to experience. Once in a lifetime perhaps...
The good news is that we had no disruptive protesters arrive...lots of free hugs, bubbles and chalk drawings on the sidewalks. The Oxfam "big heads" were here, World Vision, Bill Nighy and a monk from Japan. Seriously, that was it! You could feel a release of tension and the townspeople gathered Friday night and created what could only be described as a street party.
The skies are quiet, not a cop to be found....zero destruction. Life has returned to normal, we have great memories and a mayor that deserves a wonderful holiday.
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