The hippest place on Earth
But, as my long-suffering bride so eloquently (and pointedly) notes: “Bruce, you do know not everything is about you. Relax, and drink in the good cheer for once.”
Of course, she is correct. And though I hate it when that happens, I cannot deny that the IAAF World Junior Championships – which lured 1,500 of the planet’s best, youthful athletes and tens-of-thousands of spectators, friends, family members, and good-natured hangers-on to this happy burg – was probably the best thing to happen to Moncton in a long list of very good things, indeed.
When can we trace the beginning of the transformation? When did the Hub City start becoming. . .well, internationally cool?
Was it the 1999 Sommet de la Francophonie, which attracted hundreds of foreign delegates from all over the French-speaking world? Or was it the much-ballyhooed and well-attended Rolling Stones concert in 2005?
Certainly, both were singularly successful, superbly managed events that focused the world’s media lens on our fair metropolis (and, not for nothing, dumped millions of dollars into the local economy). But both were also somewhat tribal affairs.
The summit purloined the city’s meeting rooms and convention space to conduct serious politics and policy work. If you were a tourist from Arizona, passing through that summer, you might have been forgiven for concluding that Moncton was interesting if only for its uncommonly dense population of good-looking men in three-piece suits.
Similarly, the Stones gig appealed to a large, yet narrowly determined, focus group. It was undeniably great to see Mick and the boys strut their sexagenarian stuff before a live audience of 60,000-plus fans, but if you preferred, say, Bob Dylan or The Beatles growing up, you were more likely to admire the “greatest rock band in history” from a safe distance.
So, then, did Moncton’s designation last year as one of the world’s “smartest cities”, courtesy of the New York-based Intelligent Communities Forum, bestow must-visit status on us? Only if you were an urban-planning geek.
What about Regis of Regis and Kelly fame? Did his brief appearance at Moncton’s brand, spanking new casino earlier this month, usher our community along the red carpet to the A-list of hospitality? Only if you were a lounge lizard.
No, I humbly submit that last month’s marvellous gathering of athletic talent merits comparison with last winter’s Vancouver Olympic Games for energy, optimism, inclusiveness and, therefore, international hipster street cred. Every preceding event over the past several years has built the organizational apparatus and best practices that have enabled such an extraordinary “happening” to occur today. And those responsible for it (including former New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord) ought to be roundly congratulated. So should those of us who have walked the extra mile to ensure our visitors are well and truly treated while they gambol among us.
As Jesse Robichaud so ably reported in the Moncton Times & Transcript in July, “Uros Jovanovic, a 19-year-old 400-metre sprinter from Slovenia, and teammate Mitja Lindic, a 17-year-old hurdler, found out how welcoming people here can be when they were strolling to the mall to pick up some food over the weekend. Some friendly strangers apparently spotted them, stopped, and offered them a drive so they could save their energy for the track. ‘Everyone wants to help us,’ said Uros. It’s a great city. It is small but it has everything, a lot of nature, and people are very nice.’ Asked if they would encourage their countrymen to visit this part of Canada when they have the chance, Uros responded, ‘100 per cent for sure.’”
Come on, now. How cool is that?
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