‘Blown away by the visuals:’ Dartmouth church unveils handmade poppy display for tribute concert

A sea of red and black dazzled a Dartmouth, N.S., church over the weekend ahead of Remembrance Day.

A sea of red and black poppies hangs throughout Woodlawn United Church in Dartmouth, N.S., as they prepare for their Poppy Tribute Concert Sunday night.

Inside the sanctuary a “Wall of Honour,” showcases the names of veterans who have served since the Second World War.

The display features 1,300 handmade poppies, tied together outside the church and inside the sanctuary.

“It is awesome. And for morning service this morning, the congregation were just blown away by the visuals,” says Ralph Sams, a volunteer at the church.

This year, the church partnered with Oakwood Terrace, a Dartmouth retirement home, to create the handmade poppies.

“It started in 2020 when a resident of Oakwood read a story or heard a story about a church in Calgary doing something similar…the residents got busy and they crocheted two-thousand poppies…it went to four thousand then it went eventually to 10.”

This year the number of poppies hit 13,000, says Sams.

“I understand that those will be unveiled tonight by the Lieutenant Governor of Scotia,” says Sams.

During the concert, people can expect a variety of songs from the choir going back to the Second World War, he says.

“They’re a very talented group. They do several concerts a year, not just this one.”

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the church.

The poppies will be transferred to Sullivan’s Pond later this week for Remembrance Day.

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