Town Councilor Dwayne Hill says, “I was looking at guest book here and we have people from Finland, Netherlands, Newfoundland and the United States.”

An enduring science fiction tale of interstellar adventure, Star Trek inspires fans world wide. And here, arguably, you’ll find some of the biggest.

And this past summer, the town went super nova. The most famous Vulcan of all, Spock, himself- aka actor Leonard Nimoy beamed here for a visit. He says, “I figured it was about time I came home.”

Now, couples are materializing here, wanting to tie the trekker knot. For better or worse, these star Star Trek opened all hailing frequencies to exchange vows.

The groom wearing his formal Star Fleet uniform, and as for the bride, she chose a vintage Star Fleet miniskirt for her special day. The groom’s family and friends admits none of this comes as a surprise.

Hanneka McDonald, mother of the grrom says, “He loved Star Trek… While I did dishes after supper, they would sit and watch Star Trek.”

Sealed with a kiss, these Trekkies now warp into the rest of the life with a lasting memory of their wedding day. James McDonald says, “It adds a kinda flare to things.” The bride Kate Olaso says, “Just kinda seemed like fun or something because he loves Star Trek.”

But the bride concedes…this day isn’t necessarily the fairy tale wedding day she had in mind as a girl. Olaso, “No, I never did. (laughs) I never…”

Here’s hoping they live long and prosper.

Source: CNN via THV

On Friday April 23, 1010
Actor Leonard Nimoy, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek series will be visiting Vulcan, courtesy of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. To mark this historic occasion, town officials have commissioned sculptor Nathan Scott to create a bronze bust of Mr. Spock that will be unveiled by Nimoy during his visit. While in Vulcan, Nimoy will leave behind his iconic “live long and prosper” handprint that will be immortalized in bronze, and will present the Town of Vulcan two unique items on loan from his personal Star Trek collection. These items include: the Spock ears that he wore during the filming of the Original Star Trek TV series and a lithograph of the Original Star Trek cast, autographed by all of the original cast members. These unique memorabilia items will be on display at the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station for the next year.

In early 2010
Vulcan and CBS Consumer Products finalized the terms of a licensing agreement making the small prairie town the first officially recognized Star Trek destination in Canada, and granting it the right to create a unique line of collectible Star Trek/Vulcan souvenir merchandise that will only be available at VulcanCounty businesses.“We are very excited about our new status as the Official Star Trek Capital of Canada, and look forward to working with CBS to incorporate even more elements of the Star Trek universe into our community’s public spaces,” said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan’s Tourism Coordinator.

Special events are planned throughout spring 2010 to help celebrate the galactic occasion.

Festivities will include:
- a special visit from actor Leonard Nimoy, the original Vulcan Mr. Spock on April 23, courtesy of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo;
- unveiling a bronze bust of Mr. Spock and Mr. Nimoy’s Live Long and Prosper handprint in downtown Vulcan;
- the launch of an inaugural line of Star Trek collectible souvenir merchandise in the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station gift shop;
- and a guest appearance by actor Tim Russ (Star Trek Voyager’s Tuvok) at the Spock Days/Galaxyfest community-wide Star Trek convention June 11 and 12.

More information about these events will be released as details are finalized.

The town of Vulcan recently gained international fame for its ambitious goal to host the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie, despite not having a movie theatre. The campaign to bring the movie premiere to Vulcan followed in the wake of Vulcan’s long Star Trek history including: 2008’s unveiling of a large Star Trek Memorabilia Collection; 2007’s launch of the “Vulcan Space Adventure” virtual reality game; opening the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station – a spacey tourist information centre in 1998; unveiling a 5-tonne replica of the Starship Enterprise in 1995; and the town’s first Star Trek Convention held back in 1993. Tributes to science fiction are everywhere from space murals and alien signage that grace the walls and street corners of this little town on the prairies to a Star Trek grave stone in the local cemetery.

The Town of Vulcan, Alberta, is a “logical” year-round destination for science-fiction enthusiasts and Star Trek fans from across the galaxy.

June 3, 2009

Vulcan, Alberta, Canada – In the wake of the launch of the new Star Trek movie, the town of Vulcan, Alberta is preparing for what could be its biggest convention ever. On June 12 & 13, 2009 this small, Star Trek obsessed town, will celebrate its 16th annual community-wide Star Trek Convention Klingon Style, in honour of KAG (Klingon Assault Group) Kanada’s 20th Anniversary as a national fanclub.

“Vulcan has had a long relationship with the KAG Kanada Klingons. What makes KAG Kanada special is the way it combines members’ appreciation of Star Trek with a mission to support community service work across the country – all in the spirit of a fictitious alien race. We are honoured that the members of this Klingon fanclub have chosen to celebrate their 20th anniversary in Vulcan, and look forward to welcoming their invasion for this year’s Spock Days/Galaxyfest.” said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan Tourism Coordinator and event chair.

KAG Kanada:
Members represent a wide cross-section of individuals of all ages and backgrounds from communities across Canada. They are an association of volunteers who gather, in the guise of the fictitious Klingon race, to participate in fundraising activities and awareness campaigns for various charitable organization and health care groups.

This Year
Vulcan has invited five Star Trek celebrity guests to attend the Spock Days/Galaxyfest celebrations.

They are:
Suzie Plakson, Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh – the Klingon Ladies of Star Trek;
- Alan Scarfe – played various Romulan and alien characters on Star Trek; and
- Lolita Fatjo – worked in production on Star Trek for many years.

The event will kick off on June 12, with a Klingon Honour Guard escorting the celebrities to the opening event at the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station where they will watch a special Klingon Kata, a martial arts performance put on in their honour. Other event highlights taking place during the VulCON16: Spock Days/Galaxyfest weekend include:

- The time travel themed Spock Days Parade winding through town;
- “Shave a Klingon”- the crowd will cheer when celebrity Klingons take their clippers to the heads of invading Klingon volunteers as they raise money for the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta;
- The 2nd Annual S.T.I.F.F.e (aka Star Trek Intergalactic Fan Fiction exhibition) will showcase Star Trek related hobbies, artwork and fan fiction to an appreciative audience of fellow aficionados;
- The Spock Days Family Fun Fair and Festival Stage featuring an Open Mic/Klingon Karaoke session, and a special free concert performance by Suzie Plakson; and
- The Roddenberry Masquerade Party, featuring a retro 80s dance theme and a spacey chocolate buffet.

Long history with Star Trek
Vulcan (population 1,942) has a long history with Star Trek. In early 2009 the original Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy himself contacted the Vulcan Tourism office to voice his support for the town’s ambitious goal to host the premiere of the new Star Trek movie – a quest that ultimately resulted in a private pre-screening of the film and special appearance by actor Bruce Greenwood at a theatre in Calgary for 300 lucky Vulcan residents.

300 lucky Vulcan County residents
Not only has Paramount Pictures arranged for 300 lucky Vulcan County residents to attend a private advance screening of Star Trek, they have also just announced that Captain Christopher Pike himself, aka Bruce Greenwood, will be making an extra special guest appearance at Vulcan’s advance screening in Calgary on May 6, 2009.

“With Bruce Greenwood adding some Hollywood glamour to Vulcan’s special advance screening of Star Trek, we feel very honoured by all that Paramount Pictures is arranging for us.” said Vulcan Tourism Coordinator, Dayna Dickens.

Bruce Greenwood
Canadian born actor Bruce Greenwood has had a diverse and successful career in film and television, appearing in such movies as, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”, “I’m Not There”, “Capote”, “I, Robot”, “Thirteen Days” and “Double Jeopardy” just to name a few. Additionally, Greenwood has worked with Canadian director Atom Agoyan three times, on; “Exotica”, “The Sweet Hereafter” and “Ararat”.

May 8, 2009
As Star Trek’s theatrical release date approaches (on May 8, 2009), Dickens, is noticing a significant increase in the number of Star Trek fans making the trek to Vulcan:

“Just about every tourist who walks through our doors this spring is curious about Star Trek, and when we show them the new movie’s trailer you can see the excitement build in their eyes.”

Live long, enjoy, and prosper
Vulcan, Alberta has been coincidentally associated with Star Trek since the show’s inception – Vulcan being Mr. Spock’s fictitious home planet. The small town on the Canadian Prairies actively promotes itself as a Star Trek destination, complete with a space-themed tourist information centre and a 5 tonne replica of the USS Entreprise proudly overlooking the highway through town.

Upon learning of Paramount’s special arrangement for Vulcan, Leonard Nimoy said: “I wish I could be in two places at once. I will be in NY helping to spread the word about the opening of the film. I am pleased that logic has prevailed and that my Vulcan friends will see the film in Calgary. Live long, enjoy, and prosper.”

October 27, 2008

The Town of Vulcan’s Tourism Office was awarded the 2008 ALTO Award (Alberta Tourism Award) for Marketing Excellence – campaign or project with a budget under $5,000, for the “Help Bring Spock Home to Vulcan, Alberta” campaign.

The “crazy idea” of knocking on Hollywood’s Paramount Pictures’ door asking to premiere the $150 million Star Trek XI motion picture in the Town of Vulcan doesn’t sound so crazy anymore to the town’s Tourism Coordinator Dayna Dickens. The town, already on the international radar for its famous name and for its homage to Star Trek and Science Fiction is garnering even more attention with a fun and clever marketing effort.

“We sent in a proposal to host the opening which was really a shot in the dark”, says Dickens. “The story of Vulcan’s quest to bring home Spock has spread all over the world and Paramount has told as that they are considering our proposal.”

With a budget of only $2,000, a group on the Facebook social networking site was created, a series of news releases issued and business cards promoting the “Help bring Spock Home to Vulcan, Alberta” campaign printed. The Facebook group now has well over 1,000 members, wire services picked up the quirky story and it appeared in the media all over the world and the business cards keep getting re-printed. “The success of this campaign has proven the power of using brand-focused publicity and new media to promote a destination,” Dickens adds.

Although the chance that Vulcan will be able to convince Paramount Pictures to hold the opening of the movie in the small prairie town is still up for question, the campaign itself has been overwhelming successful. The marketing push has resulted in a galaxy-sized 20 per cent increase in visitors and a 46 per increase in revenues at the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station between September 2007 and August 2008.

Star Trek XI: Help bring Spock home to Vulcan, Alberta

The Vulcan Tourism office

Recently announced its campaign to bring the world premiere of Star Trek XI to Vulcan for its May 2009 release. The Alberta Film Commission brought the small town’s proposal down to Los Angeles with them in November 2008.

Gaining Support

To gain support for the campaign, Vulcan Tourism Coordinator Dayna Dickens has created a group on Facebook called: Star Trek XI – Help bring Spock home to Vulcan, Alberta. “We have almost 900 members in the group, from all over the world. The story of Vulcan’s film premiere campaign has also been picked up by several online and international media outlets, so momentum is growing!” reports Dickens

International Radar

Already on the international radar for its famous name and for its homage to Star Trek and Science Fiction, the entire town believes that Vulcan is the “logical” place to host the film’s opening event. According to Dickens: “The new movie’s storyline is a prequel, written around a young Spock and Kirk; that being the case, we look forward to rolling out the red carpet and welcoming our favourite fictitious Vulcan son home.”

The Campaign

The campaign to bring the Star Trek XI movie premiere to Vulcan follows in the wake of the spring 2007 launch of the $250,000.00 state-of-the-art “Vulcan Space Adventure” virtual reality game. Vulcan has a long Trekkie history, including opening the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station – a spacey tourist information centre, in 1998; the unveiling of the 5-tonne Vulcan Starship FX6-1995-A in 1995; and the town’s first Star Trek Convention held back in 1993. Tributes to science fiction are everywhere from space murals and alien signage that grace the walls and street corners of this little town on the prairies to a Star Trek grave stone in the local cemetery. Could hosting a Spock homecoming be next?

Following in the success of Springfield, Vermont’s world premiere of The Simpson’s Movie earlier this summer, Dickens is optimistic that, Hollywood might just take Vulcan’s proposal seriously.