Last Sunday, May 6th, the Gilles Villeneuve Museum in Berthierville kicked off a series of special activities that will take place throughout the rest of the year in memory of the former F1 legend, who died at the Belgian Grand Prix, on May 8th, 1982 -- exactly 25 years ago.
Every year since its inception, the museum organizes an ''Open Doors'' Day on the weekend that is closest to this date.
So, last Sunday, the venue was packed. In fact, the general manager of the museum, Alain Bellehumeur, confirmed that nearly 2,000 visitors stopped by and that over $7,000 were spent at the gift shop.
In addition, about a hundred members of the English Vintage Car Club were present with their beautiful classic cars, much to the viewing pleasure of car enthusiasts on hand. They came from all corners of Quebec and Ontario.
All visitors had free access to the museum and received a souvenir album with pictures and articles celebrating Gilles' career -- again, at no cost.
Throughout the day, Mr. Bellehumeur granted a lot of interviews to the numerous journalists who attended the event.
Members of the immediate family including Gilles' mother Georgette Villeneuve, his wife Johann and her mother Georgette Barthe, his brother Jacques and his sister-in-law Celine, as well as a couple of nieces and nephews, were also present.
Among the honorary guests were the Mayor of Berthierville, Yvon Poirier, who is also a board member of the Museum, and deputies from the Berthier district, Guy André (federal) and François Benjamin (provincial).
Yours truly, as the Chairman of the Gilles Villeneuve Museum, had been invited to introduce one of the marquee guests, Mr. Michel W. Hanson, from Quebec City. This gentleman was the chief starter at the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, where Gilles won his first-ever F1 race.
He probably delivered the most moving speech of the day. One thing's for sure: he felt tremendously honored to be a part of the commemorative festivities with other fans. The crowd listened to him closely when he talked about his unique relationship with the Legend.
