Hometown to honour Hadfield with a Walk of Fame party

Troy Shantz A party is being held to honour one Sarnia’s most famous sons. A ‘Hometown Star’ will be unveiled for Col. Chris Hadfield on Aug. 6 to celebrate his recent induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Troy Shantz

A party is being held to honour one Sarnia’s most famous sons.

A ‘Hometown Star’ will be unveiled for Col. Chris Hadfield on Aug. 6 to celebrate his recent induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Fellow Sarnia native David Chilton will serve as master of ceremonies for the event on the riverfront, which will include musical performances by fellow Walk of Fame inductee and pop rock singer Andy Kim, Sarnia-born singer songwriter Emm Gryner, and the Arrogant Worms musical comedy troupe.

A birthday cake will also be presented to Hadfield, who turns 60 on Aug. 29.

“It’s a celebration of what he’s achieved,” said Mayor Mike Bradley, who hopes the astronaut’s “Hometown Star” can one day be part of a Sarnia Walk of Fame.

“I’ve always been inspired by him. Every time he comes back there’s a new dimension to his career. He’s always the one that proclaims he’s from Sarnia.”

Hadfield was born in Sarnia and attended King George VI elementary school, where he became interested in space.

He spent 35 years with the Canadian Armed Forces and became one of its top test pilots. He was accepted into the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut program in 1992.

During three space missions he helped build the Russian space station MIR, helped install the Canadarm2 and was the first Canadian to ever float freely in space. In 2012, he became the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, where he was responsible for the crew of five.

His fame only grew when he sang and played guitar on a rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ — a cover the iconic rock star called the most poignant version of the song ever made.

Today, Hadfield is a professor at the University of Waterloo, leads the Chris Hadfield Generator series at Roy Thompson Hall, and is a New York Times best-selling author.

He speaks around the world and has had numerous things named after him, including the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport, two elementary schools, a NASA rocket factory, an air squadron, and an asteroid.

He divides his time between Toronto and Sarnia-Lambton where he enjoys life at the family cottage on Stag Island, a place he has called his favourite on earth.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: A celebration honouring Chris Hadfield

WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 4 p.m.

WHERE: Bayshore Park parking lot, 355 Front St. North

OTHER: The free event features performances by Andy Kim, Emm Gryner and the Arrogant Worms.