If you have been to Merrickville over the past few weeks, you may have noticed some gorgeous evergreen angels scattered throughout the village. This is the second year that Robyn Eagle has spearheaded the angel project in the village. Last year, she was part of Merrickville’s “Decorating Divas” for Christmas in Merrickville, and she and another member of the group, Joy Barber, built 12 angels and put them up throughout downtown.
“We built the frames, and all the greenery was taken from our property, and we just put them up throughout the village,” Robyn remembers. “They were on battery operated lights, so that was part of our brightly lit village, keeping with the Victorian theme.”
This year, Christmas in Merrickville was toned down due to COVID-19; however, with the success of last year’s angels, Robyn committed to building and placing a few angels throughout the village for the event. Her friend, Brent Barber, donated his time and the greenery, and Christmas in Merrickville donated the lights to make sure the angels still shone brightly at night. “We took it upon ourselves to put up six, and I named them all,” Robyn says. “They all had special names.”
This year’s angels were even more special, because they were used to raise money for Merrickville’s Emergency Food Cupboard through a silent auction. The angels were put up at the end of November, with bidding sheets placed strategically throughout the village, and the auction ended on December 6, after the Christmas in Merrickville weekend. All six winners were locals, with Jennifer Ritskes, Elaine Cote, Yves Grandmaitre, Janet Starkey, Sheila Cook, Stuart Jackson, and Elena Venables all claiming angels. A total of $600 was raised for the Emergency Food Cupboard.
Robyn asked the winners to leave the angels in their places until December 19, and two of the six winners have committed to leaving the angels in the village throughout the holiday season. The angel at the Cenotaph was generously donated to the Village by Elaine Cote of Cote Chiropractic, and Elena Venables donated her angel to Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
“It was just something to keep the festivities going and to brighten people’s spirits,” Robyn says about the initiative. “There’s such positive feedback about them. Everywhere I go people say – oh they’re just so wonderful – and so it’s nice that people appreciate them.”
