As you’re driving through East Bolton, it’s hard to miss that beautiful rocket that greets you as you enter the village. With its magnificent colors, it’s easy for it to catch your eye. While we have told the story of Mr. Jean-Charles Labranche and his decision to have a rocket built on his property after seeing the Apollo rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida, we have yet to tell the story of the man behind the rocket, which many have come to know and love. That man is Mr. Laurent Côté. According to Mr. Côté’s family, upon returning home from vacation in Florida, Labranche wanted to have his own rocket to attract cliental to his business’ and he turned to Côté to achieve his goal. In 1964, he asked Côté if he could build him a rocket and upon completion in 1965, it was installed on Labranche’s property where there was a snack bar and a car garage. Côté used wood to construct the rocket and then he covered it with sheet metal. See full story in the Friday, Sept. 20 edition of The Record.
The skilled man behind the Bolton Rocket
By Taylor McClure, Special to The Record
