INNISFAIL – Karen Scarlett and Wilma Watson were amazed when they found out last week how many homemade poppies were quietly collected.
The tiny crocheted creations – some arriving from as far away as Ontario - had been collected and stuffed in plastic bags in the front office at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion Branch #104.
Since the Crochet Poppy Project campaign was launched alongside the legion’s mural project last July 10 no one had done an official count.
But Scarlett, an accomplished local artist and Watson, president of the Innisfail Art Club, were both at the legion on Oct. 12, and were jointly “shocked” at what the community had produced over the past three months.
“They’ve just magically appeared,” said Scarlett, adding she last saw about 20 poppies created “close” to the beginning of the campaign. “And during the mural there was none that was dropped off.
“So, I’m shocked. I'm just absolutely shocked.”
Watson was on one hand equally stunned by the numbers but on another was not that surprised the community, especially those with artistic talent, rallied for the project.
“We have so much talent in this community. It's outstanding and tremendous,” said Watson, whose club has tripled its membership from about 22 in 2022 to 65 this fall. “It's just amazing how the community has supported the arts movement that is starting to happen within the town.”
As for the completed poppies they will play a huge part in what will be a ramped up colourful Remembrance Day salute for veterans on Nov. 11; a fitting complement to the recently completed mural project along the south, west and east exterior walls of the legion.
Not to be forgotten is the Innisfail legion’s inaugural new Veteran Banner Program; an initiative that could see up to 56 banners of local and out-of-town heroes hanging from street lights in the Main Street area.
Scarlett said the plan for the Crochet Poppy Project is to get a fabric net, much like a fishing net, and use it as a curtain; one with more than 1,000 attached crochet poppies.
“It can then hang wherever the legion wants to put it,” said Scarlett. “So, if the legion wants to decorate the Cenotaph with that curtain they can do that. If they want to bring it inside on the stage for Remembrance Day, they can do that too.
“I do think as well that this would be gorgeous hanging right at the front door overhang as people come in.”
In the meantime, Scarlett and the art club are inviting the public to come to the legion from 1 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 to help put the crochet poppies onto the netting.
“I think it (curtain) is going to go on the Cenotaph once it's done, so yes, a pretty neat project,” said Dean Turnquist, branch manager at the Innisfail legion, who added there is growing community excitement over this year’s new initiatives to support and salute veterans.
“We're getting a lot of great feedback. Everybody has an opinion on it, and I think it’s created a talking point,” said Turnquist. “Given our location and the fact we're in the centre of the community it's been a great thing for us, and I think a great visual aspect for us as well.”
Any citizen wanting to create additional crochet poppies for Innisfail’s Remembrance Day curtain are invited to check out the pattern at http://karenscarlett.com/poppy/
