The Day The World Came To Town

 There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Gander. The streets are not laid out in the typical grid pattern nor the wagon wheel pattern of Washington, D.C. The streets are laid out in the shape of the head of a male goose or a gander. This town, on an island in the Atlantic Sea, has a huge airport and was used during WWII to refuel planes. So when Sept. 11, 2001 happened and the United States shut down all airports, many flights from Europe were rerouted to Gander. The Day The World Came To Town by Jim DeFede is a history of that time. 42 planes landed in Gander. The number of stranded passengers and airline crew totaled 6,800. The people in the town banded together to help. The airline crews were sent to the hotels. The passengers were sent to schools, churches, and community centers. Community members cooked food and opened their homes so people could take showers. Telephone companies set up phones for passengers to use. Passengers and crew were frustrated with the changes in travel plans but no one acted our their anger. In fact, some connections were made during those four days the strangers came to Gander that still are alive today. The generosity of the people who live in Gander was astounding and a pleasure to read about.