Williams Lake is in the process of being bombed — yarn bombed that is.
It seems people of all ages have been knitting and crocheting up a storm over the past few months to decorate the city’s fences, trees and various venues in colourful yarn art to celebrate the city’s 85th birthday.
The bombing (decorating) started Monday and continues most of the week.
“Things are going fast and furious with the yarn bombing,” says co-organizer Sharon Hoffman.
She says many individuals and community groups have joined the yarn bombing project spearheaded by the Williams Lake Community Arts Council with contributions from various arts groups, community groups, students, and individuals.
Since just after Christmas she says they have had children as young as seven making pompoms while older children have made a hand-crocheted chain.
Seniors and Cataline Elementary students involved in the Intergenerational project, at the Seniors Village, as well as Girl Guides have also been busy knitting and crocheting for the project.
At least two people in their 90s, Marion Coreless, 92, and Lotte Oberfell, 93, have been cranking out ribbon to be used by the students for weaving, Hoffman says.
“Marion Coreless, who is 92 has been the driving force behind the museum and the yarn bombing project,” Hoffman says.
She says members of the lakecity’s historical society and St. Peter’s Anglican Church donated great quantities of yarn for volunteers to knit or crochet.
Elizabeth James also heard about the project and donated a big box of ribbon to be used by the high school students in their project.
“I have been so happy with the way people have come on board,” Hoffman says.
Monday, Hoffman says she started working with students to use some of the yarn work to decorate fences at Lake City Secondary’s Williams Lake campus on Carson.
Volunteers from the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin will also be decorating a tree in Herb Gardner Park this week.
The Williams Lake Spinners and Weavers are decorating the old fire truck next to the Central Cariboo Arts Centre.
A total of nine trees will be decorated in Herb Gardner Park, along with the Station House Gallery, Community Garden, and tennis court fences with help from the Cariboo Potters Guild, Cariboo Art Society, Conservation Society, Water Wise group, Potato House Sustainability Society, Cariboo Festival Society, Quintet Plus, Cariboo Festival Society, and Studio Theatre Society and other interested volunteers.
She says Marg Evans at the Conservation Society has done an incredible job of decorating a decrepit old bicycle for the project. “It’s amazing,” Hoffman says.