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Chestermere is famous for its famous residents. Actors, musicians, and sports stars have long made Chestermere their home. With fame comes star-struck fans. In April Glen Zane started the first Chestermere celebrity sightseeing tour bus attraction and has since grown to a fleet of 7 buses. “Tourists simply can’t get enough of the celebrity culture here in Chestermere,” said Zane in a recent interview. “I mean, just yesterday we were driving down East Chestermere Drive and we got a clear view of songwriter Jerry Halloway. His 1974 country song ‘Lonely River’ made it on the Canadian charts, so to see him taking out his garbage in his bathrobe is just such an amazing photo op for our guests.”
But residents of Chestermere are concerned by the new company. Leona Marshal says that the constant barrage of attention is ruining her sense of privacy. “It’s true that I was in a couple episodes of ‘The Road to Avonlea’ in the 1990’s, but I didn’t expect the fame to follow me to Chestermere. Now I can barely leave my home without facing gawking tourists clogging up my driveway” she said.
Zane’s company faced charges last month when one of their tour bus drivers engaged in a high speed pursuit through a residential neighbourhood. “I don’t blame our driver for wanting to give our guests the best possible Chestermere celebrity encounters,” said Zane, “but we have advised all of our drivers to drive safely and to remind tourists that they shouldn’t touch the celebrities.”
With celebrity culture in Chestermere growing, city council has approved a Chestermere Stars Walk of Fame just outside of Safeway and Zane expects a new wax museum will open in Chestermere in the near future. “I mean, where else can you camp out at a Tim Hortons and see a 1983 curling hall of famer or the puppeteer who played Finnegan on Mr. Dressup. It’s all right here in Chestermere!”
