For Claire Grazette, director of the Macdonald Museum in Middleton, poppies have always been close to her heart.
“I grew up in Guelph and I went to John McCrae school. So, you know: John McCrae, ‘In Flanders Field…;’ and the poppies have been in my life since day one.”
When the president of the community museum’s board earlier this year suggested a poppy curtain as a community project, Grazette was excited to get started.
“I said, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to do it now, because we’re going to need 2,000 poppies to make a decent curtain, so let’s get it out there.’”
After the disruption caused by COVID-19, the Macdonald Museum has been busy brainstorming ideas to reconnect with its community. While the poppy project is a commemorative piece created for veterans, it also serves as an opportunity for communities to get involved with their museum.
“I think it’s a little something to do – it doesn’t take a lot, and I think this is just a nice way for the communities to get together.”
The museum started posting requests for handcrafted poppies on Facebook, and reached out to some of the knitting groups it knew of in the area, as well as the Nova Scotia Community College – Middleton Campus’ 55-plus group. In its initial ask, the museum received over 150 of the little red flowers, as well as offers of support from members of the community.
“A Middleton high school teacher here contacted me and said, ‘Is there something we could do? We could make felt poppies if you’d like.’ She’s going to talk to one of her classes and see if they can make some felt poppies.”
The West Nova Scotia Regiment has also donated some funds towards wool, which the museum will use to prepare DIY kits for those interested in contributing to the project.
“The poppies can be made of any material except paper, and be between two and four inches wide. As long as it’s a poppy, it doesn’t matter the color of red. Knitted, crochet, felted, beaded – we’d love some beaded ones. The more different colours, the more texture, the more fun it will be. The differences will give it all its character.”
Grazette is hoping to reach the museum’s goal of 2,000 poppies by mid-October, in time to piece together the curtain for the community’s Remembrance Day activities around November 11. Museum-based activities include, as part of its monthly book night, Annapolis Valley author Dave Whitman speak on his book, A War Horse Comes to Nova Scotia; a screening of the movie, “War Horse,” and a jazz concert.
For now, the plan is to use the curtain as a backdrop for this year’s Remembrance Day events, but the museum is looking at different options for the curtain’s future. The drapery may eventually be auctioned off, with proceeds donated to the Poppy Campaign, but Grazette has also been discussing the possibility of growing the project into a Valley-wide contribution. Shortly after the Middleton Museum began its project, Grazette received a call from Marie Meldrum of the Four Seasons Fibre Group, also working on a similar project in the Kentville area.
“She was hoping we might be able to do something right across the Valley. I don’t think it’s going to happen this year, but we’re hoping, between hers and ours, it might spark interest, so we might get something for next year, so that in the towns along the Valley you could have like the poppy route.”
Just as a poppy route would connect different Valley towns together, Grazette is hoping the Middleton project will help the community reconnect with its local museum.
“We want to make sure people understand the museum is not just a place full of cobwebs, and where grandma’s tea towels and dishes are. It’s a lot more, and it’s a part of the community. The building will be 120 years old this year, it was a school up until 1979, so there’s many people still that went here. It is a big community piece.”
To find out more about the poppy project, and how to take part, visit Grazette at the museum, 21 School Street, Middleton; call 902-825-6116 or email contact@macdonaldmuseum.ca. Or, follow the museum on Facebook @MacDonald Museum.
