Cameron Penney
It appears the warmth brought by Tim Hortons when filming last year’s holiday commercial has carried over to this winter.
The commercial, which was filmed last December, has been airing on television across the country this winter.
While the national recognition has warmed the hearts of many residents here, some felt the Christmas cheer could be taken a step further.
“I think I was watching the advertisement for a second time and then I said, ‘I wonder what they did with all that stuff?’” recalled Linda Hamilton.
“I phoned Gord [McQuarrie] and said, ‘Did they leave you anything,’ and he said, ‘Yes, some blankets and some yarn.”
Once Hamilton has her hands on some of the blankets and yarn from the commercial, she began reaching out to other community members to begin decorating the town.
“I phoned Richard Boileau at McTaggarts because he is involved with the Business Improvement Association downtown and he was more and willing to say, ‘Drop some off here,’” she noted.
“It’s all over the community,” said Boileau.
“It’s not meant to do anything other than make the town look better, and put up some more Christmas and town spirit,” he reasoned.
“Because every time we see that commercial on TV, we are all excited, “Hey, that’s Fort Frances!” Boileau enthused.
The “yarn bombing,” which is reminiscent of the decor seen around town in advance of last December’s filming, can be found downtown, in the front yards of some homes, as well as at Rainycrest, the Canadian Mental Health Association building, and the Fort Frances Public Library.
“Every time I go out, I have a look for it,” Boileau said.
The yarn, which was distributed around town last week, will be collected at the end of the season and hopefully make a return next year, noted Hamilton.
“Its been great,” she said of the community’s response to the yarn.
“I’ve had a couple phone calls from people asking if there is any left to put up in their yard,” she added.
The full version of last year’s advertisement, entitled “The Warmest Tim Hortons in Canada,” can be found on YouTube.
To date, it’s been seen more than 1.1 million times.
