Shania Twain Centre

The Shania Twain Centre was a city-owned tourist attraction that operated in Timmins, Ontario from 2001 to 2013. It exhibited memorabilia, awards and other personal items loaned to the Centre by singer Shania Twain, who was raised in Timmins.

Shania Twain Centre
EstablishedJune 30, 2001 (2001-06-30)
DissolvedFebruary 1, 2013 (2013-02-01)
LocationTimmins, Ontario, Canada
Typetourist attraction
Visitors9,151 (2010)
OwnerCity of Timmins

History

The Shania Twain Centre was opened on June 30, 2001.

Twain, on Nov. 2, 2005, at homecoming in Timmins, Ontario.

On November 2, 2004, Twain visited the Centre and officially declared it open before an audience of hundreds of fans from around the world, some of whom had queued for up to 20 hours for the opportunity of an autograph and greeting with Twain.

Annual fan conventions

From 2003 to 2012, fans of Shania Twain traveled to Timmins for the International Shania Twain Fan Convention. 32 fans attended the inaugural fan convention in 2003. Attendance peaked at approximately 100 for the four-day event in 2005.

At subsequent conventions held each August:

  • 2004: Two large gifts from Twain to the Centre were unveiled: the stage from her "Up" tour and her tour bus. Twain band members Cory Churko and JD Blair attended the convention.
  • 2005: 100 fans attended the third convention. Drummer JD Blair and guitarist Randall Waller participated.
  • 2006: Drummer JD Blair and fiddler Allison Cornell attended.
  • 2007: 50 fans attended. Events included a karaoke night, a country party, a mini-golf tournament and Go-cart races. Drummer JD Blair and guitarist Randall Waller sent messages.
  • 2008-2012: conventions were held annually. Visitors at the 2011 convention included fans from the U.K., Denmark, and the U.S.

Costs to the city

Annual attendance for the Centre was originally projected at 50,000 but never reached above 15,000.[1] Annual subsidies to the center cost the city of Timmins $7 per resident, or $33.72 per centre visitor.[1] A 2011 financial study suggested that the city council faced either closing the centre or spending $233,000 per year subsidizing its operations.[1]

Closing

In May 2012, Shania Twain's management company had the singer's items repatriated to Las Vegas, removing most of the Centre's exhibits.[1] In January 2013, Timmins city officials announced plans to sell the Centre building due to declining attendance.[2] The land and building were sold to Goldcorp for $5 million, half the building's $10 million construction cost, as part of Goldcorp's plan to create an open-pit gold mine on the site.[1]

The Centre officially closed on February 1, 2013.[1] Officials stated that items remaining after the centre's closure would be displayed at the city's airport and library. [1] The building was demolished on December 3, 2014.[3]

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See also

References
  1. Beeby, Dean (1 February 2013). "Shania Twain Centre closes its doors for good after becoming $10M sinkhole". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  2. Benjamin Aube (January 8, 2013). "Timmins, ON plans to sell Shania Twain museum because of poor attendance". QMI Agency (republished by Sun News Network).
  3. Shania Twain Centre in Timmins is demolished.

Affiliations

The Museum was affiliated with CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.

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