Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite Message Board

Tommy · by **Tracy** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:02 pm

Hi there,

Please note that the registration forms are now on line for you to fill out.....who will be the first to register!! - REGISTRATION FORMS

Again, our apologies for the delay in getting things ready this year. We assure you that this won't happen again.

Here is a sneak peak of the itinerary for the convention..........we hope to see you here!

Thursday August 11
Meet and Greet Social at the STC at 6pm (Surprise activity from the staff)

Friday August 12
Day trip to Perry Lake Lodge for guided horse back riding tour, boat tour, outdoor activities and lunch
Dinner at the STC
Trivia Contest
Bon Fire

Saturday August 13
Guided Tour of STC with Backstage Tour
Lunch
Event TBD
Tribute to Charlie Rinehart
Dinner
Charlie's Ranch
Karaoke

Sunday August 14
Brunch

Tommy · Guru

Twainiacs gather next week
Shania centre hosting ninth-annual convention

By Kate McLaren, The Daily Press - Aug. 5, 2011

Shania Twain Centre manager Tracy Hautanen with Shania's dress she wore at this year's Juno Awards in Toronto.

Shania Twain fans from around the globe will flock to the Shania Twain Centre next week for the ninth-annual fan convention.

Although centre manager Tracy Hautanen said this year's convention will be "low key," Timmins will see participants from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

"We're OK with it being low-key this year," said Hautanen, explaining when planning the convention, organizers weren't sure of Twain's schedule come summer.

"We knew she had a book and a TV show coming out, but we didn't know what the dates and timing of it all would be."

When Twain was touring in the past, the annual event saw participation from hundreds of fans. When her career became quiet, however, numbers dropped.

"We're looking at about 20 people this year. It's going to be more of a reunion of friends."

Since the convention began nine years ago as a way to bring fans together from around the world, strong relationships have developed as people bonded over their love for Timmins' sweetheart, she said.

This year's convention, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 11 to Sunday, Aug. 14, will feature various events including a tribute to long-time fan Charlie Rinehart, a Michigan resident who died last year, along with horseback riding, karaoke, and a trivia contest.

This year's participants will be treated to new exhibits, including the dress Twain wore on the Juno awards as well as her wedding dresses from her January nuptials to new husband Fred Thiebaud.

"She's in the limelight again, so we're hoping to get more items like stuff from her Vegas shows."

She added she's made a request for the dress Twain wore when she took a tumble walking to the stage at the CMT awards in June.

The wedding dresses, which are the newest additions to the centre, will be kept under wraps so lucky convention participants can get the first look.

"This year more than any, it's a great time for the fans to get together, see some new things, but mostly just spend time catching up and have a little holiday in Timmins.

"They look forward to this every year. It's a huge highlight for them."

With the release of Twain's autobiography, From This Moment On, a docu-series on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and Las Vegas show, Hautanen said she hopes next year's event will return to a "convention level."

"We look forward to growing the event again next year for our 10th anniversary, and we're going to incorporate some events with the 100th anniversary celebrations."

Convention participants will also have the chance to win autographed audio and print copies of Twain's book, along with a handmade cross-stitched portrait of the star.

The convention is set for Aug. 11-14, 2011 at the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins. More information is available at www.shaniatwaincentre.com or by calling the centre at 705-360-2619.

http://www.thedailypress.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3246755

Tommy · Guru

Video from CTV News:

http://northernontario.ctv.ca/timmins/index.html?video=516461

Tommy · Guru

'Family Reunion’ for fans
Hardcore Shania Twain fans gather in Timmins

By Kristine MacDougall, The Daily Press
August 14, 2011

Bianca Verhaar is a big Shania Twain fan who has attended the annual fan convention for the past four years. She travels from Holland to Timmins every year for the event.

A small but dedicated group of approximately 20 people came out for the 9th Annual Shania Twain Fan Convention in Timmins.

People from around the world arrived last week for the event, with some coming as far away as Holland.

"For the last three years, I have been here, " said Bianca Verhaar of the Netherlands. A big fan of Shania Twain's music for several years now, she was happy to make her fourth trip to Timmins.

"I love visiting and meeting all the friends that come every year," she said. "Timmins has a lot of nice people. I love to come back here."

Convention organizer and manager of the Shania Twain Centre Tracy Hautanen said this year's event was smaller in terms of attendance, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

"This is more of a reunion year, than a convention," said Hautanen. "We're ramping it up for the 100th anniversary (of Timmins) next year, and we'll be promoting it a lot for our 10th anniversary.

"We're also here to pay our respects to a fan that we lost this year. His name was Charlie Reinhardt. He used to come every year, and he passed this January. This reunion is dedicated to Charlie."

The annual convention includes activities for attendees every year, said Hautanen.

This year, it included horse back riding, boat rides, a trivia contest based on Shania Twain's new book, some behind the scenes footage of Oprah Winfrey's special, a walk through the centre based on Shania's tour there last October, a brunch, a dinner and karaoke night dedicated to Charlie, called Charlie's Ranch.

"We love to have them all here," she said. "They're our biggest ambassadors."

One of the centre's ambassadors, who spoke highly of Twain and her music, was Richard Sessions of Goshen, Indiana.

"I think she's important because of the examples she's set in her life," said Sessions. "She has a lot of good moral values that I think the world needs. That's reflected in her music."

Returning year after year for the annual event, Sessions said there is one thing that he appreciates most about attending a convention like this.

"Every year we do something that is related to Shania's life, but the great thing about the convention is the friends you meet," he said. "We have people from all over the world, and we really feel like a family — it almost has a family reunion feel when we're here.

"We really enjoy getting together, sharing a common interest in Shania."

Throughout the four-day convention, fans gather together to enjoy Shania Twain's music, partake in various activities and events hosted by the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins.

"This year we went horse back riding," he said. "Shania really loves horses and she loves to go horse back riding so one of the activities we had this year was to get that feel of riding a horse out in the Northern Ontario wilderness.

"We always incorporate something about Northern life in Canada — that gave Shania her background and helped develop her into who she is today."

As a dedicated fan of Shania Twain and her music, Sessions said the annual fan convention has been a big part of his life for several years. It has provided experiences and opportunities he would not have otherwise had.

"This is my 11th visit to Timmins," said Sessions. "If it wasn't for the Shania Twain Centre, I would never have come to Timmins."

And like many who visit the Shania Twain Centre every year, there is one reason why he keeps coming back.

"I come here because of how it enriches my life. It's the people, it's the fans," said Sessions.

"It's because Shania's music has brought us together."

http://www.thedailypress.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3257605