Five days that changed lives

I was fortunate to experience the play, “Come from Away,” a Tony award-winning musical at the Alhambra Dinner Theater in Jacksonville last Tuesday evening. I saw the video of the Broadway production, but this is the first time I saw the play live. The energy and enthusiasm of the ensemble cast was contagious.

In case you are not familiar with the production, it takes place in Gander, Newfoundland on the days between Sept. 11-16, 2001 and a revisit to Gander on the 10th anniversary. Tickets just happened to be available for Sept. 9. It was a poignant time to see this play.

“Come From Away” is based on the real events in the town of Gander, Newfoundland, directly following the September 11 attacks. Early that morning, the Federal Aviation Administration decided to shut down its airspace, forcing thousands of planes to land at nearby airports. This caused a total of 38 planes carrying 6,579 passengers and crew to be grounded in the small city of Gander. This would be one of the locations that would later be known as Operation Yellow Ribbon.

The town of Gander had fewer than 10,000 residents. The arrival of the planes and all of the “come from aways” they were carrying from all over the world became a crisis turned opportunity that has defined Gander ever since.

The town is home to folks of English and Irish descent as well as First Nation peoples, including the Inuit and Mi’kmaq tribes. Most people had made their living in a thriving cod fishing business. Then in 1939, Gander became home to an international airport with a large runway that was used as a refueling stop before Transatlantic flights. Once planes were able to make the trip without stopping and the airport was not needed, the people had to redefine themselves again. That definition came to them on Sept. 11.

The town threw open its doors and its arms to house, feed and clothe their unexpected guests and to try to meet their other needs in this time of crisis, confusion and fear. The musical tells the stories of the relationships that formed and have remained. The frightened passengers were welcomed so warmly and without guile that it took many by surprise. Once they realized the feelings were genuine, they relaxed into the hospitality and fun of it all, even participating in the ritual of a “Screech-in,” which includes taking a shot of rum and “kissing the cod” to become unofficial Newfoundlanders.

The stories in the musical ring true because they are based on true stories. At the 10th reunion in 2011, folklorists from all over went to Gander to record the stories of natives and “come from aways” alike. The married Canadian writing team of Irene Sankoff and David Hein were hired. They wrote the book, the lyrics and the music for the show. Since 2023, the town of Gander has put on a summer-long production of the musical, in which some residents play themselves as they add more local stories to the show, spoofing themselves and their accents.

Fernandina’s own folklorist, Dr. Peggy Bulger, has her own unique connection to Newfoundland. She and her husband Doug have owned property there since 1986 when she considered going for her doctorate at Memorial University in St. John’s. They visited and fell in love with the place and the people. Their village of Keels has a full-time resident population of 37, but swells to 200 with summer visitors. Peggy describes Newfoundland as a magical place where the people are “great.” The other regular visitors to Newfoundland are five species of whales: sperm, humpback, orca, minke and the very same North Atlantic right whales that calve off our shores here on Amelia Island.

Peggy and Doug Bulger in Newfoundland

Once Peggy and Doug drive to the tip of Nova Scotia, they have a 7-hour ferry ride to Newfoundland, followed by a 9-hour drive to their cottage. All told, the trip is about 3,000 miles. I would say you have to really love a place to go to the trouble of all that travel year after year.

Many residents and visitors to our island feel a similar devotion. Generations of families have come here together, made memories and settled here. Our island has redefined itself over and over, also through the centuries, from a place of abundance for First Nation peoples, then home to settlers, fishermen, missionaries and pirates. Our area’s now growing population stretches our understanding of who we are. Our self-definition remains in flux and is a source of contention.

I confess that as much as I love living here, the news of the last week made me long to live in a place like Gander. I am hopeful enough to believe that instead of moving to Newfoundland, we can reclaim the welcoming spirit of openness to diversity and willingness to aid others in distress that marks that city from the five days that changed their lives.