Calais cupids deliver Valentine’s Day cheer Event raises more than $800 to aid firehouse restoration committee’s goal

CALAIS – White wings carried them through the door of a local furniture store on Valentine’s Day and their surprise message delighted Joyce Scott.

The unsuspecting new grandmother learned from two cupids on Thursday that on Mother’s Day she will be winging her way to North Carolina to see her 3-month-old granddaughter Genevieve for the first time – a gift from friends.

Nancy Gillis of Calais and Hazen Grant of St. Stephen, New Brunswick delivered the good news, and Scott laughed when she saw the two tall cupids dressed in red sweat shirts, gloves and earmuffs, with wings attached to their backs.

Gillis and Grant were part of a cupid brigade Thursday “flying” around the city carrying messages of friendship and love. The event is held each year to raise money for the St. Croix 1 Fire House restoration project, and the daylong event raised more than $800 for repair of the 134-year-old building.

Scott’s face broke into a grin as cupid Gillis whipped out a poem that would have made Keats and Kipling wince. Scott’s friends, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote the whimsical piece.

“Hi, my name is cupid and I have a special valentine for you – pack your bags, Joyce, because you’re going to fly Jet Blue,” Gillis read. “Don’t panic, the trip we planned is still two months away. Have lots of fun seeing your grandbaby this coming Mother’s Day. Your friends and family got together for this little surprise. Please ask me no questions, and I will tell you no lies. Have fun [and] love you. From your friends and family.”

“Oh, my God,” Scott exclaimed.

Along with an airplane ticket, the cupids also presented Scott with a stash of traveling cash for her trip. Scott’s boss, George Taylor of Taylor’s Furniture, had told her friends earlier he would give Scott the time off.

A visibly flustered Scott, who reportedly is rarely at a loss for words, was speechless.

Taking a deep breath, Scott said she’d just received a Happy Valentine’s Day e-mail from her son and daughter-in-law with a picture of her granddaughter.

“I just can’t believe it,” Scott said looking at the airline ticket. “I haven’t seen my granddaughter since she was born November 12. It’s been an issue of money and not being able to go.”

About a half-dozen cupids delivered good cheer and smiles to unsuspecting folks Thursday.

The cupid factory opened around 7 a.m. Thursday when backroom cupids Dot Glass, Velda Lowell and Marie Flewelling showed up at head cupid Vicki Farrell’s home on Spring Street. They were busy wrapping red carnations in white paper and attaching string and pieces of chocolate candy. Farrell then attached a card and poem to the flowers.

The finished messages were then handed off to the cupid brigade to be delivered.

Farrell said that Scott’s gift was one of the largest her group has ever presented. Usually they land on doorsteps with a red carnation, candy and a Valentine’s Day greeting.

Farrell said the cupids were willing to deliver personal gifts as long as they were in good taste and easy to carry.

Dick Barnard, chairman of the restoration committee, said the cupid brigade was a popular event that people looked forward to each year.

“It’s an ongoing project that we do every year to bring a little cheer to people during the winter months and also bring attention to our project,” he said.

Built in 1874, the firehouse at one time was home to the Happy Gang senior citizens group. Over the years, the group used the building to hold meetings and social events. Years ago, the group turned the building over to the city, and the St. Croix No. 1 Firehouse Committee stepped in to save it.

The building that sits next to the city building has a rich history, but even with the efforts of its former owners, it has fallen into disrepair. In addition to its historical importance, the 4,250-square-foot building offers the largest handicapped-accessible public meeting room of its kind in the downtown.

Two years ago, a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant helped, but it was only a Band-Aid on a building that needs major surgery. The group also has raised more than $42,000 locally.

Last year, supporters kicked off a $400,000 capital campaign and the Cupid Brigade is helping to raise some of that money.

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