There's always been a warm place in the heart of Cochranites for our veterans and those who continue to serve our country.
Seven years ago, the community cenotaph was manifested by the commission of 7 ft. bronze statue of a First World War soldier in a memorial stance that was created by Don and Shirley Begg and their internationally acclaimed Studio West Bronze Foundry.
Now a Veterans Crosswalk leads the way to the cenotaph in Cochrane that will be walked by hundreds of people on their way to the Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11 and by hundreds of thousands over the years.
Completed this week by AAA Striping, already thousands of people have been raving about the decision of the town to complete the crosswalk in time for the peak of the Legion's poppy campaign.
Town CAO Mike Derricott says they were inspired by other municipalities.
"We saw some of our municipal colleagues putting in crosswalks to honour our veterans and those who serve their country and we thought, hey, that's a pretty great way that we can contribute to the already tremendous work the Legion does to put on a Remembrance Day ceremony, and we're pleased to see it come together."
He gives kudos to the town's road department for their enthusiasm for the project and for being able to have it completed in a short period of time.
"It's a small thing we can do compared to all the people who have put their lives on the line to keep our community safe and free. We look forward to celebrating and remembering them with the Legion and with the community come Remembrance Day on Nov. 11."
Even the weather cooperated after temperatures recovered from a small taste of the winter to come.
Eric Pineda, foreman of the AAA Striping crew completing the work, says they were determined to wait out the weather.
The red and white stripes were painted before stencils were used to include a veteran in a memorial stance and the words "Lest We Forget" on both ends of the crosswalk.
"We're going to leave the stencils with the town so they can continue to retouch it," says Pineda.
CAO Derricott says the intention is to maintain the glory of the crosswalk for years to come.
"We're experimenting," says Derricott. "This is the first time we're seeing it, but we're expecting a pretty positive reaction, so I imagine it's something people can expect to see going forward."
