First article in a series leading up to the annual Terry Fox runs…
The touring edition of a national exhibit looking at the legacy of Port Coquitlam hero Terry Fox opens today (Wednesday) in his hometown.
And the launch of Terry Fox: Running to the Heart of Canada, at PoCo Heritage, coincides with the same week Fox stopped his epic Marathon of Hope 37 years ago to return home — and two weeks before the annual Terry Fox runs on Sept. 17.
Curated by the Canadian Museum of History and the Terry Fox Centre, the moving display has already appeared in a number of communities at the same time the larger show is moving across Canada. It is at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria until Sept. 29.
That bigger show started its journey two years ago at the Canadian Museum of History, in Gatineau, Que., as the Marathon of Hope marked its 35th year.
While the smaller exhibit doesn't include artifacts as seen in Victoria, it does offer a fresh batch of photos and letters reproduced on giant fabric panels.
The images depict Fox in his early days at 3339 Morrill St., PoCo; his life on the road; and words and drawings from fellow Canadians before and after his journey, which was cut short in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Sept. 1, 1980, when cancer spread to his lungs.
There are also pictures of places where his name lives on: from schools and youth centres to the Valemount mountain and Coast Guard icebreaker.
As well, on one of the first panels, there is a letter typed by Fox, on Oct. 15, 1979, to an unidentified person or group, that describes his upcoming cross-Canada trip and his desire to raise funds to fight cancer, which took his life two years later.
PoCo Heritage, too, has added its local content in a separate part of its McAllister Avenue space. Its section includes videos and — on loan from the B.C./Yukon branch of the Terry Fox Foundation, in PoCo — Fox's Marathon of Hope T-shirt; a replica of his artificial leg; and Terry Fox Run T-shirts dating back to 1988. There are also two run T-shirts from Mexico — a nod to his international influence and how cancer research around the world has benefitted.
PoCo Heritage also has envelopes with the Canada Post commemorative stamp of Fox, issued in 1982 and postmarked at the old post office, where the museum is now located inside The Outlet (behind PoCo city hall). There are also books about the PoCo athlete from Toronto Star reporter Leslie Scrivener, artist Douglas Coupland, Maxine Trottier and Eric Walters.
Meanwhile, PoCo Heritage has set up an interactive corner, where attendees can write messages on postcards about how Fox affected their lives; a small red mail box is set up nearby. Already, about a dozen completed postcards are on the museum walls, filled out by guests at the city's Canada 150 celebration on Aug. 26.
"It's very impactful for people who come in here to put down their thoughts, and it's an excellent way to honour what he contributed to the world," said museum co-ordinator Kelly Brown who organized the PoCo Heritage show with volunteer Steve Smith.
Ending Nov. 29, Running to the Heart of Canada will officially launch with a VIP event next week, in which Fox's sister, Judith, and Alison Ince — Fox's nurse at Royal Columbian Hospital, where he died — will speak. On that night, PoCo Heritage will stage a fundraiser, with proceeds of the silent auction items going to the Terry Fox Foundation.
• Admission to Running to the Heart of Canada is free. PoCo Heritage (150-2248 McAllister Ave.) has extended its staffing hours during the show from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call 604-927-8403 or visit pocoheritage.org. To donate $5 to the Terry Fox Foundation, text Terry Fox to 45678. Otherwise, visit terryfox.org.
TRI-CITY FOX RUNS
• Port Coquitlam: 10 a.m., Hyde Creek recreation centre (1379 Laurier St.)
• Coquitlam: 10 a.m., Mundy Park field house (629 Hillcrest St.)
• Port Moody: 10 a.m., Rocky Point Park (2800 Murray St.)
• Anmore: 1 p.m., Spirit Park (2697 Sunnyside Rd.)
