The bright orange flicker of candles illuminated local cemeteries as residents remembered departed loved ones.
Encased in star-shaped ice sculptures, hundreds of graveside Memory Candles were lit by volunteers over the weekend.
“People really seem to like it, and it means different things to different people,” said Jean Hyska, an organizer.
As a fundraiser and community service, the Anglican Parish of St. Peter and St. James sold the Memory Candles to families for $10 each.
On Sunday afternoon, volunteers lit candles at all local cemeteries as well as retirement homes and the Legion cenotaph. In conjunction with the mass lighting, religious leaders led prayers.
Good response
As she and fellow volunteers used blowtorches and barbecue lighters to ignite candles at Hillside Cemetery, Hyska said she was pleased with the response to the Memory Candles.
Families purchased over 800 graveside candles. Other candles were placed along the driveways of the cemeteries.
On Sunday evening, a stream of vehicles slowly drove through the cemeteries as constellations of candles glowed in picturesque contrast to the black winter sky.
Though the original candles have since flamed out, Hyska reminded families they are welcome to return to their love one’s gravesite with a fresh candle in hand.
The ice sculptures can also be taken home by families and kept in their yards.
Volunteers began using moulds to form the ice sculptures in September, relying on indoor freezers. When winter temperatures hit the freezing mark, more sculptures were formed outside.
“We can’t make them fast enough to wait for the cold weather,” Hyska said.
Hyska noted the Memory Candle campaign, now in its ninth year, enjoys the support of several volunteers from outside the Anglican church.
“They just [help] because they like the project,” she said.
