Be on Time! Advertising Deadline: 12 Noon on Tuesday
Friday, Nov. 6 , 2026
Neepawa Poppy Project blooms into reality
By Casper Wehrhahn
Pictured: Melanie Burnett, Lane Englund, Ginny Collins, and Nancy Hunter on Nov. 1 after the new poppy blanket was secured at Neepawa’s cenotpah for the first time. These women are just a few of those who organized and/or volunteered with the Neepawa Poppy Project.
For additional photos, see Page B1 and B8 of this week's newspaper.
– – – –
On a foggy Sunday, Nov. 1, thousands of poppies bloomed to life at Neepawa’s cenotaph. The vibrant red display was accomplished by many dedicated hands.
Since March, Neepawa Poppy Project organizers and eager volunteers from the broader public were busy making each poppy by hand via knitting or crochet.
“We haven’t tallied up yet how many people have helped us, but it’s definitely more than 65 or maybe even 70,” said Lane Englund, Neepawa Poppy Project representative. “That there was such a good community response… it was totally beyond anything that Susan [Philips], Melanie [Burnett], and I and all the other coordinators anticipated.”
Englund added, “We really got a lot of response from a lot of different people– and not just from Neepawa. We’ve had people from Brookdale, Rapid City, and somebody from Hartney sent a bag full of poppies.”
Poppy makers spanned a variety of ages, with even the Neepawa middle school’s crochet club taking part.
Opportunities for people who do not knit or crochet to get involved were available as well. This included Lane Englund herself, who assisted instead by preparing and delivering poppy kits, picking up poppies, and fastening the faux flowers to the blanket and poppy strings.
Venues such as the United-Anglican Church, Margaret Laurence Home, Kinsmen Kourst I and II, and more, also assisted by providing work-space, or welcoming the group for demonstrations.
Regarding the wide-ranging reception, Englund stated, “It just shows you that communities can work together for a variety of different things. All of us have something that we’re interested in doing, and you can fire up a bunch of other people to get involved in the same thing. And this is the 100th year of the Legion, so this was definitely our year to do this.”
Neepawa’s poppy blanket is 66 feet and contains about 3,000 poppies. The poppy strings on the chain-link fence also account for an estimated 120 poppies.
The count doesn’t stop there, however, as some poppy strings were put up outside the Neepawa Legion.
Additionally, there are many more that have yet to find a home.
For the full story, see Page B1 and B8 of our Remembrance Day Section.
You can find this story and many more inside this week's edition of the Neepawa Banner & Press!
