By Tara de Ryk
June 28, 2010

DAVIDSON-For over a decade, the coffee pot has been the centre of attention on Highway 11, welcoming motorists to Davidson and symbolizing the area's prairie hospitality.

Fittingly, the Town of Davidson will celebrate the launch of the coffee pot's Canada Post postage stamp with a coffee break at the town hall.

Canada Post is featuring the coffee pot in its Roadside Attraction series. The stamp is coming out July 5 and will be officially unveiled July 7 at 3 p.m. during the coffee break.

Mayor Mary Jane Morrison said initially she considered holding a luncheon to unveil an 8 x 10 picture of the stamp.

"Because it's the coffee pot, what better time than coffee time," she said.

The coffee break will go from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the town auditorium.

The postage stamp bears an artistic rendition of the coffee pot, complete with a pair of people perched on the coffee cup, posing for a picture.

The stamp is part of the Roadside Attraction series and is available for purchase in a book of eight stamps and a souvenir sheet of four stamps. The coffee pot is joined on the souvenir sheet by: the Happy Rock in Gladstone, Manitoba; the Wawa Goose of Wawa, Ont. and the giant Atlantic Puffin that greets visitors to Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Que.

At their June 15 meeting, Coun. Clayton Schneider said the coffee pot is known to people from across the country. He said during a recent trip to Ottawa when people learned he was from Davidson, they recognized the town because of the coffee pot.

Community development officer Donna Bessey said Davidson is in the Museum of Communications and Technology in Ottawa because of the coffee pot.
The community hopes to tap into some of this goodwill that will be flowing over the coffee pot and it being immortalized on a stamp.

"Maybe it would be a good time to officially launch the coffee pot restoration," Morrison said, referring to a community initiative to raise money towards keeping the coffee pot in postage stamp worthy condition.

Council did pass a motion to support the community's efforts to have the coffee pot restored and it will set up a reserve account to receive donations towards the restoration.

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.