The St. Paul UFO Landing pad received some extra attention last week as a film crew with Cineplex Entertainment was in town filming a pre-show piece to be played in Cineplex movie theatres across Canada throughout the month of June.
The St. Paul UFO Landing pad received some extra attention last week as a film crew with Cineplex Entertainment was in town filming a pre-show piece to be played in Cineplex movie theatres across Canada throughout the month of June.
“We thought it would be really cool to feature the UFO landing pad,&” said Tiffany Wong, a producer with Cineplex. She explained that the pre-show will be played as a lead-up to the release of Disney's Earth to Echo, which is set to be release in early July and tells the story of a group of kids who find an alien.
Wong says the pre-show will help educate Canadians, especially children, about the landing pad.
“We thought it was an interesting story because it's such as far out there idea.&”
Darren Arsenault and Andrew Scholotiuk made up the two-man crew who came to St. Paul on Wednesday to film Town of St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen at the landing pad.
The crew asked the mayor questions about the history of the landmark, how it was constructed and conceived, and what it represents. The mayor explained that the landing pad is meant to attract visitors from all over the place.
Arsenault describes the pre-show piece as “an exciting intergalactic trailer,&” which will get people excited about the landing pad.
Neither Arsenault nor Scholotiuk had ever visited St. Paul prior to Wednesday morning, which Andersen said further proves that even after 47 years, the landing ad is still doing what it was designed to do - draw visitors to the area.
“It really shows the unification of this country,&” said Arsenault, as he spoke about his impression of the landing pad. He described the landing pad as one of the most unique landmarks he'd ever seen.
Andersen said featuring the landing pad in a pre-show with Cineplex was a good opportunity for the town. In preparation for filming the footage for the pre-show, the mayor admits he had to brush up on his local history a little.
He also added it was nice to be in front of the camera for such a positive project. Andersen credits the people involved in the conception of the landing pad in the 1960s for creating such a unique piece.
“A lot of imagination went into (the landing pad),&” he said.
The St. Paul UFO landing pad was built in 1967 in honour of the nation's centennial. Since its creation, the landmark has attracted a number of visitor's from across the globe. In 1993, the adjacent tourist booth, which is shaped as a UFO and houses an exhibit with an alien theme, was also opened.
