By Kari Janzen, Staff Reporter
The Tofield Legion launched the annual poppy campaign on Friday, October 31 at the cenotaph outside the Town Office to ceremoniously pin the first poppy onto dignitaries Mayor Adam Hall, Beaver County Division 1 Councillor Kevin Smook, and Beaver County Deputy Reeve, councillor for Division 2, Lionel Williams.
Poppy Chair Chris Shaw said the campaign is held in order to raise money to support veterans through the poppy fund.
“The campaign raises awareness for our fallen and our surviving veterans, and to raise funds to provide support for veterans and their families,” she said.
The campaign runs from the last Friday in October through to November 11 and every year the Tofield Legion presents the Mayor and the Division 1 and 2 Beaver County councillors with the first poppy.
“The pinning of the first poppy at 9 a.m. is done nationally. All the branches go out and pin the first poppy on the local dignitaries. It is the beginning of the launch of the campaign, and the appropriate time that the poppies can be worn,” Shaw said.
As per tradition, each government official also gave a Legion member a $50 bill, a ritual Smook said that the late Sieko Scott, a former Beaver County Division 2 councillor, started years ago.
“Now we’ll go out to deliver the poppy trays around town and in the surrounding areas,” Shaw said. “We cover from Chipman, Strathcona County, down Highway 21; we have a very large area and it will take us all day to deliver.”
