By Carol Volkart, Newsletter Editor
I suspect I wasn’t the only one mystified by the big fat pink hearts that began popping up around Dunbar in February.
Hearts, Valentine’s Day, February – I got that much. But what was their point, and who were they aiming at with their slogans – “I (heart) Dunbar,” “Be Mine,” “Here 4 You”? There were no explanations attached – just chubby symbols of adoration on two thin metal legs, watching the traffic go by.
Lisa Clement of the Dunbar Village Business Association enlightened me. The hearts were part of the @loveyourcitycontest staged by business improvement associations across the city in February. The groups put up colourful street installations –banners, decals, wooden hearts – and waited for the Instagram crowd to do what came naturally.
Which was, take photos of bright objects and send them off to Instagram. Each post was an automatic entrance into a contest with a grand prize of about $4,000 worth of goodies from the various participating neighbourhoods.
The hearts came down in March, but I don’t know who won the grand prize. I only know it wasn’t someone who’d never posted to Instagram in her life.
