THE MACLEOD GAZETTE

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Tribute to dead actor sent to Java Shop

Photo by Frank McTighe, The Macleod Gazette.

A cowboy hat worn by Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger sits on Table 25 in the Java Shop alongside roses sent by an admirer following the actor’s death.

FRANK MCTIGHE
MACLEOD GAZETTE EDITOR

The death of a Hollywood star touched Fort Macleod.

A rose was delivered every day for four days last week to Table 25 in the Java Shop, made famous by Heath Ledger in a scene from Brokeback Mountain.

“They have been delivering one flower a day,” Java Shop owner Vasant Patel said Friday.

Ledger, who starred as Ennis del Mar in the award-winning 2005 movie, died January 22 in an apartment he rented in the SoHo district of New York City.

Patel, who placed the cowboy hat Ledger wore in Brokeback Mountain on the table beside the roses, said Table 25 has been popular since the movie debuted.

“People want to see where he sat down and ate,” Patel said.

The groundbreaking movie about two gay cowboys gained fans world-wide, and they made pilgrimages to Fort Macleod to see first-hand scenes where the movie was shot.

“I had a lady from Japan,” Patel marveled.

Brokeback Mountain fans would often come to the Java Shop, determine which table was the one at which Ledger sat, and then order apple pie just as Ennis del Mar ate in the scene. “They come from all over the world,” Patel said.

People often made a day trip from Calgary to visit Table 25, while others came from as far away as Germany and Switzerland.

The scene filmed in the Java Shop was a pivotal one in which Ennis del Mar was confronted by his girlfriend Cassie and officially ended his relationship with her. People who sought out the real-life places in which the movie was shot found the Java Shop welcoming.

“You could go in and become a part of it for a short time,” said Lauren Gurney, who has done research for the Internet site www.findingbrokeback.com.

“There was life there, life that was welcoming to fans of the movie. You could make a connection if you wanted to, or just sit there with your apple pie and coffee and replay the scene in your mind.”

In an e-mail interview, Gurney said it’s not surprising the movie is so popular. “It’s a tragic love story, first and foremost, and it resonates with people for different reasons, depending upon what baggage they bring to the theater with them,” Gurney explained.

“For many, this was their life playing out on the screen, and not only for homosexuals. Opportunities missed or not taken, feelings denied or covered up—these themes apply to everybody. For others it was about a certain part of their being that was lost somewhere while growing up, and they wanted to regain that. Whatever the personal reason, it packed a huge emotional punch for a great number of people.”

The daily roses were delivered to the Java Shop from Village Greenery and Gifts in Fort Macleod.

The actor’s death gained international attention on Internet discussion boards on Web sites dedicated to Brokeback Mountain, including www.davecullen.com/brokeback and www.bettermost.net.

[Reprinted with permission.]

‘The end of an era’

Fort Macleod landmark Java Shop closes its doors

FRANK MCTIGHE
MACLEOD GAZETTE EDITOR

A Fort Macleod landmark is closed.

The Java Shop served its final meals Friday after decades as a popular meeting place and destination.

“I think it’s a tragedy,” long-time Fort Macleod businessman Frank Eden said. “I hope it’s not a sign of more things to come.”

The distinctive building at the corner of Second Avenue and 23rd Street has long been a popular meeting and eating place, and home to the Greyhound depot.

Java Shop owner Vasant Patel closed the business last week because he can’t get building owner Greyhound Bus Lines to make necessary repairs.

“The roof leaks all over,” Patel said. “That’s the main thing. I’ve been fighting for two years to get them to fix it.”

Patel even took a Greyhound employee on the roof to show him the trouble spots.

“Nothing happened,” Patel said. “We’ll look into it, that’s all they say.”

The public health inspector also mandated missing wall tiles need to be replaced and the washrooms upgraded.

“It’s not my building,” said Patel, who refused to put money into a building he doesn’t own. “The way I see it they (Greyhound) doesn’t have the budget.”

On Friday customers returned to the Java Shop for a wake of sorts, to say their goodbyes and enjoy one last meal — on the house.

“It’s kind of sad,” former Fort Macleod mayor and Member of Parliament Ken Hurlburt said. “This was such an important corner in town. It’s going to hurt the town for a while.”

Frank Eden recalled when groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club held their meetings in the dining room at the Java Shop.

“It’s the end of an era,” Eden said.

Eden shared a story from the Java Shop’s past, when it was owned by Hugh Craig, who was named to the Order of Canada. Dances were held in River Valley Wilderness Park on the north side of the Oldman River.

“When the dances ended at midnight, Hugh used to wade across the river and get the coffee going before the people from the dances got here,” Eden said.

The Java Shop was an important part of life in Fort Macleod, cultivating its share of regulars like Chris Cheesman, the Town of Fort Macleod’s electric department superintendent.

“I had my morning ritual to come here every morning to pick up my coffee and my two daily newspapers,” Cheesman said.

Cheesman had another ritual associated with the Java Shop. It’s where he would bring his daughter Sara for special father-daughter meals.

“Fort Macleod is kind of a hub, and the Java Shop is part of the hub,” Cheesman said. “The spokes of that hub are now shattered.”

Cheesman also recalled special feelings attached with picking up Christmas packages delivered by bus, and meeting loved ones travelling on Greyhound.

“This is how communities bleed to death,” Cheesman said of the loss of the Fort Macleod icon.

Greyhound bus drivers looked upon the Java Shop as an oasis on the prairie.

“Coming through Fort Macleod, this was my supper break or this was my breakfast break,” said retired driver Al Douglas, who spent 35 years behind the wheel for Greyhound. “You were dying to get here.”

Drivers appreciated the warm welcome and friendly service they received.

“It was great,” said retired driver Lorne Eremenko, who put in 38 years with Greyhound. “You were always treated good here.”

At one time Highway 3 was the only route through Alberta to the west coast, and those buses used to frequent the Java Shop.

“This was so busy you wouldn’t believe it,” Eremenko said.

Eremenko remembers being part of a convoy of six Greyhound buses heading west on Highway 3.

Added Douglas: “I can remember us having nine or 10 buses lined up in the alley. You won’t see that anymore.”

The two retired drivers agreed the Java Shop was a Fort Macleod landmark.

“It didn’t matter where they were from,” Douglas said of his passengers. “People knew the Java Shop.”

Douglas and Eremenko and their wives appreciated the invitation for a free lunch Friday at the Java Shop.

“We’ll get over it,” Douglas said of the restaurant closing. “But the town of Fort Macleod is going to be in the dumps for a while after this building goes.”

Waitress Judy Thomas, who has worked on and off at the Java Shop for 23 years, spent Friday consoling her soon-tobe- former customers, putting on a brave smile and handing out hugs.

“I’m going to miss the people who come in here, even though I always gave them a hard time,” Judy, as she is known to everyone, said with a smile. “I’m going to miss the people big time.”

[Reprinted with permission.]

Photo by Emily McTighe	Photo by Emily McTighe
Java Shop owner Vasant Patel stands behind the counter on Friday as he prepared to close the popular Fort Macleod restaurant.	Former Fort Macleod Mayor Ken Hurlburt visits with economic development officer Gordon MacIvor and assistant Riet Kliessen Friday.