By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Ashton Schneider recently had the chance to see his favourite TV show come to life.

The 15-year-old from Davidson, along with four family members, witnessed a taping of the CBC show Heartland in Calgary in late November.

They were part of a “Fans as Extras Day,” during which they were on the set for five hours as the cast and crew shot scenes for the upcoming season finale.

The scenes take place in an arena, and roughly 1,200 fans were invited to the set to fill the stands as extras.

Ashton made the 1,500-km trip with his cousin Maggie Boehm, his grandmother Cathy Sperling and grandparents Jack and Marie Schneider.

While all of them are fans of Heartland, Ashton says it’s his favourite show, and he’s seen most of the episodes, some of them multiple times.

“He was just so excited,” said Cathy. “I think it was really a highlight for him . . . To think that you could ever get that close.”

For the full story, please see the Dec. 4 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.