Written By Olena Riznyk
AILSA CRAIG – More than 5,000 handmade poppies have been collected for Remembrance Day displays in Ailsa Craig, with volunteers contributing from the village and beyond.
The project was started by the Ailsa Craig Arts Centre with support from the local Legion. Wilma Kirmse, exhibit coordinator at the centre, said the response exceeded expectations. “We had no idea we’d have that many,” she said.
A couple of years ago, the centre made felted poppies for its window after seeing displays in other towns. This year, members decided to try something larger.
Organizers shared the request on Facebook and the centre’s website, and word spread. Visitors who stopped in to see exhibitions also offered to make poppies and bring them back. “We’ve had people from all over the place making poppies for us,” Kirmse said.
One woman living in London made more than 400. Another, who grew up in Ailsa Craig and was moving back from Brampton, contributed more than 250.
A group of women connected to the Legion made many of the flowers, while one woman donated money for yarn. The Legion also collected and stored poppies, helping the arts centre manage its limited space.
Organizers estimated that between 30 and 50 people had made poppies. Others came to the centre to help attach them to netting.
The flowers were knitted or crocheted using patterns provided by the centre. Differences in yarn and the way each person worked gave them slightly different sizes, textures and shades of red.
After asking organizers of similar projects in Strathroy and Port Stanley for advice, the centre chose landscape netting as a backing. Volunteers arranged the flowers and stitched them into place. “It does take a lot of hands,” Kirmse said.
Kirmse mentioned that the poppy displays fit alongside the village’s banners honouring veterans. She had been confident the community would support the project, and people who helped were glad to have been part of it.
The displays are installed at the Ailsa Craig Legion, around the town hall entrance and on the railing and boxes outside the arts centre.
Kirmse said the displays would stay up through Remembrance Day before being taken down and stored for future years. She hopes to add displays at other locations, including business windows. “We have extra poppies so we can make repairs if we need to, and we can expand it too,” she said.
