Since it was Saturday and the sun was out (a rare combination if there ever was on in Vancouver in Winter), we took a walk, and ended up on Granville Street, up near Meinhardt’s. We had met with someone earlier and didn’t have lunch, so we were a little hungry. We stopped and went into the narrow little restaurant that is run by Meinhardts called ‘Picnic’, which offers some of their salads, sandwiches and quiches from a glass case at the front, and has seating in the form of 3 or 4 tables for two and a large, marble-topped picnic-style table that runs roughly half the length of the room. We took our seats, the two of us next to each other on the bench, and were just about to dig into a lunch of Endive Salad, Chicken Sausage roll (in my case) and Yam salad, when Pam’s eyes go wide and her jaw drops. Across from us, about to sit down right in front of Pam, is Nancy Robertson, who is the woman who plays “Wanda” in the Canadian TV sitcom “Corner Gas”. I knew that Ms. Robertson and her husband (and creator of the show), Brent Butt, were both Vancouver residents and lived nearby, but this was the first time we’d ever run into any of the cast.
It’s important to note that Pam is a Corner Gas Fan. Actually, she’s more than a fan. She’s a big fan. As in not ever missing an episode (and thank goodness for the TiVo, we don’t have to rush home to catch it when it’s on).
After letting Nancy eat her lunch and read her Georgia Straight, Pam couldn’t hold back any longer and said what an honour it was to meet her. We chatted for a little while, and Nancy was very gracious, and hopefully not too put upon. We noted that it was a nice thing for her to be able to get a vacation, and she related the shooting schedule (4 1/2 months) in Saskatchewan, where the series takes place. She told us that the series was being released in the US this coming September, and Australia as well. I’m hoping it’s a hit in the US, partly because it will be nice to see Canadian characters on American TV who are not Mounties or the McKenzie Brothers .
After we said goodbye and headed out for other errands, I asked Pam if this made her day or perhaps her week? She just grinned from ear to ear.
Lucky Pam!
We’re Corner Gas fans, also — can’t wait for it to make it to the States .…
That’s fantastic! I’m glad she’s really nice.
I had a sort of brush with fame last night: I picked up Matt at the airport and saw a writer to whose reading I had been on Tuesday night.
Anyhow, I need to watch more Corner Gas.
In a way, I’m kind of surprised that it’s taken so long for us to come into contact with someone from the film/TV/music business. A guy I work with lives in the same building as Kristin Kreuk, and I’ve heard talk of Elvis Costello sightings in Gastown.
When we were looking around for wedding things at the Party Bazaar store on west 2nd around this time last year we passed “Wanda” on her way out and heading to her car. We felt bad that we only knew her as “Wanda”.
We sent season 1 on DVD to John’s folks in Iowa last year and it was such a hit we sent season 2 this last Christmas. The kids/cousins were all fighting over who got to take it home first.
It’s such a great show, still giggling about the table hockey/summit series episode last week.