‘Near and dear’: Crocheted, knitted poppies on display

ARTHUR – Bonny McDougall and an army of volunteers have much work ahead for the Arthur 150 celebration.

Over 2,000 crocheted and knitted poppies will be displayed around downtown Arthur within the next two weeks, paying tribute to Arthur’s wartime role in the First and Second World Wars.

The poppies will be a conversation starter, McDougall said, and are a “fun thing to do and are near and dear to the community.”

Measuring around four to five inches in diameter, the poppies have been constructed from multiple shades of red yarn and dropped off at Arthur 2nd Look, where McDougall has emptied a bucket of the poppies about twice a week since the campaign began.

Loose strings from the poppies are weaved onto 147 feet of netting, portions which will be mounted to the railings of the George Street bridge leading into the village, and other areas such as the Arthur cenotaph, Legion and Royal Bank.

Patterns to make a poppy are available on an Arthur 150 Facebook page and at Arthur 2nd Look.

Poppies are being accepted until the end of September. They will once again be displayed downtown ahead of Remembrance Day.