LOWER SACKVILLE, NS – On September 11, 2001, 40 airplanes were diverted to Halifax Stanfield International Airport, as officials scrambled to clear the skies in the wake of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
Halifax received more planes that day than any other airport in the world. In just a few hours, 8,000 passengers and crew found themselves in an unfamiliar city, not knowing how long they’d be there.
Many people were taken into private homes. Leah Quann of Lower Sackville woman and a neighbour took in twelve people, grounded in Halifax while flying from England to Las Vegas for a wedding.
Two of their guests, Kenny and Tracey Johnson, had reservations about flying to the United States once flights resumed.
“They decided that they didn’t want to fly into the U.S.,” said Quann. “They want to fly straight home. But they didn’t want to go home without getting married first.”
Quann got the ball rolling and the wedding took place within 48 hours in her mother’s backyard. “Once we got the marriage license, which Global helped us with, everything just started pouring in from gifts and memorabilia for them to take home to food and wedding cake,” said Quann. “Their guest book was actually a Canada flag which they still have hanging on their wall at home.”
Quann’s parents hosted five people themselves, but say hosting the wedding in their backyard is a fond memory. “They, I think, were happy,” said Linda Stone, “Just as happy – had they would of been, had they gone on to Vegas.”
Linda’s husband Ed said an RCMP officer on a horse led the limousine down the street to his house. Stone said he’ll always remember what the RCMP officer did during the wedding ceremony. “He got off the horse and sang ‘Oh Canada’ – it was you know, enough to send shivers up anybody’s Canadian spine,” said Stone.
His daughter Leah Quann said, “It was incredible and we still keep in touch with them. It is pretty amazing to say you were part of something like that.”
The sadness of September 11th will always be remembered, but that day was also the start of long lasting relationships. “What ended up coming out of it probably made a lot of us stronger in the end,” said Quann. “It developed a lot of really unique friendships that never would have happened. You know, communities really pulled together to help however they could.”
Tracey Johnson and some of her family have returned to Quann’s home and Leah plans one day to visit Tracey in England.
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