Market Friday Goes Boldly Nerdy, A Vulcan Market Friday Blog, New Digital Art and Photography

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(Edited)

A Vulcan Market Friday

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Psst ... can I tell you a secret. Maybe you have this secret too. What secret? The secret all the cool adults have ... that maybe they weren't always the coolest kids.

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Yes there be Trekkies in my quarters, and so there was no going to Southern Alberta without also visiting the the Star Trek Capitol of Canada.

The STAAAR TREKKK CAAAPIITOOL OF CAANAADA!!!

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The Vulcans, or Vulcanites, are not just throwing the title around. The town is officially recognized by the federation of all things nerdy as the Star Trek Cappie, north of the border.

With a population at around 2000, the Prairie town was actually named after a Roman god and not our fictional, pointy-eared, first-contact, and extra-worldly neighbours of Star Trek fame.

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Vulcan was the Roman god of fire, and believe me, when the sun shines hot, Vulcan gets scorching. Our visit coincided with a heat wave; we were pleased to escape inside, into the air-conditioned tourist center that doubles as a spacey nerd club house.

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Yes, that's me in captain's chair. Alas the green screen was on the fritz and the Entreprise bridge is missing, but I think I would make a fine helms-woman, perhaps minus the flip flops. Though it seems Minime (above) is having way more fun than Admiral Mommy. For some reason, he refused to put on the uniform.

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Entry into the 'Holodeck' was by donation (or free) on account of the broken green screen, but it was still lots of fun to check out the collection of official type costumes they have accumulated over the years.

We purchased a few items in the gift shop and let that suffice. Minime bought himself a crew shirt and I bought a friend a Tribble cup and myself some genuine Vulcan ears ... genuine in that they were made in China, but bought in Vulcan.

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The ears ended up being way too big and more Ferengi-like.

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Most of Vulcan's memorabilia is on display and for free, and so even if you do not want to risk getting lost in Holodeck glitch, there is still lots to see, from Star Trek Potato Heads, Barbies, beer steins, and boxed cereal. You can see in the reflection the center's famed Spock stain-glass window. It reminds me of the one and only time that I saw Leonard Nimoy in real life. It was in the window of the House of Doors. That sounds made up, but it's true.

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Of course, they also have loads of action figures, with many for sale in the gift shop. That hard to find Star Trek item may just be found in Vulcan. That said, the OG series makes up the bulk of the items for sale. I would have liked more Voyager or TNG merchandise.

Minime definitely wants to go back and so maybe on our next trip, there will be more on offer in honour of newer series and characters.

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You might think with all the out of world memorabilia and costumes our favourite item might be .. say this Klingon Bat'leth. But no. It is the oddest things that usually lay the deepest memory. So let the following sign be a warning about laissez-faire parenting in space or the Prairies.

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I don't know but if you ask me it sounds like an offer of free baby-sitting.

Make sure to visit the blog of @dswigle to check out more #marketfriday posts and send Denise some love. I'll be by shortly.

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4 comments
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I want Vulcan ears! They are so cool! What a great find! The place and the ears, but, I am speaking about the place.

I loved Gilmore Girls. Luke wasn't cool? LOL Who knew?

Are you sure this is a recognized town? I will have to trust you on that one. I believe Minime is having great fun there, despite that pesky heatwave. I agree having a few more props might have been cool, but, just seeing Admiral Mommy was worth doing without. Such a fun post, @prydefoltz

And might I say...Looking better than good, woman! ❤️ I say you probably had the most fun on your #MarketFrida, well.. except for me. I definitely had fun! Thanks for taking us along! Muah!

#MarketFriday began as a way to reach out across the globe and learn about different cultures through their markets, especially local markets and farmers' markets, and eventually branched out and evolved over time from straight shopping to a cultural affair as it highlights how we differ and then again, how much we are alike. We have become a melting pot of culture, but it is still the Rituals, Festivals, food, architecture, and even your language/languages that separate us... Along with the fact that these things are normal for us. There are unwritten rules that rule our social behaviors. I see this as allowing for increased tolerance between cultures and nations, and opportunities to come together on an even playing ground. A strong culture can be beneficial to a country as it promotes unity, especially during a crisis, peaceful debate, and open dialogue. I have learned so much about all of you and it has been an amazing experience. I can only hope that learning about each other can help us work together for a peaceful world.

Thank you for being a part of #MarketFriday

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Ha ... I think the titled is uncontested at this point. So there is that. Yes ... It is a super fun afternoon. We had lunch at A&W but I think what Vulcan needs is a space-themed/Gilmore Girls Type Luke's Place. That would be SUPAH:)

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Ashlee’s obsessed with Luke! Her high school crush 😂. That’s the guy who played Sam on supernatural right? If not then it’s not Luke but the other guy from that show….

Never mind! I just looked and it was “Dean” who she had crush on.