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㽶ƵֱAbsolutely wonderful writer㽶Ƶֱ: Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot added to Salmon Arm㽶Ƶֱs treble clef

Visible reminder of iconic songwriter to come down this coming weekend
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The treble clef at the end of Alexander Street in Salmon Arm has held a banner with the words 㽶ƵֱOur Musical Laureate - Gordon Lightfoot㽶Ƶֱ since the Canadian icon㽶Ƶֱs death on May 1, 2023. The banner will be coming down during the weekend of May 13. (Martha Wickett-Salmon Arm Observer)

Bill Laird, the man behind the huge orange treble clef at the end of Alexander Street in Salmon Arm, was met with a question first thing on the morning of May 2.

㽶ƵֱLinda got up Tuesday morning and said, 㽶ƵֱYou㽶Ƶֱre going to do something, right?㽶Ƶֱ㽶Ƶֱ explained Laird, referring to his spouse.

She was talking about iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, 84, who died on Monday, May 1, in a Toronto hospital.

They talked about a banner and argued whether it should say 㽶Ƶֱmusical laureate㽶Ƶֱ or just 㽶Ƶֱlaureate.㽶Ƶֱ

Then things got rolling.

㽶ƵֱMy wife gets the credit for the idea and everybody else gets the credit for pitching in,㽶Ƶֱ said Laird, emphasizing his part was minuscule.

He reached Lew Dies and Jamie Walters at Spectrum Signworks, who immediately went to work creating a banner. He also contacted Joe Chartier at Shuswap Rentals, who provided a hoist. The banner was hung on the treble clef by 3 p.m. that day.

㽶ƵֱI want to stress how much they helped,㽶Ƶֱ he reiterated.

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Laird explained that Linda grew up in Ontario, where she and her brother Roger taught themselves to play guitar by listening to Gordon Lightfoot.

㽶ƵֱLinda was playing Lightfoot before I met her,㽶Ƶֱ he said, but Lightfoot songs soon became a common soundscape in their home.

The couple also went to see him perform a couple of times and to his hometown, Orillia, Ont.

Linda has been singing Lightfoot tunes steadily since his death, Laird said.

㽶ƵֱHe㽶Ƶֱs been a big part of our musical life. It is a big thing for Canada. He was absolutely a wonderful writer. Some of his ballads are amazing.㽶Ƶֱ

This weekend, the 㽶ƵֱOur Musical Laureate - Gordon Lightfoot㽶Ƶֱ banner will be coming down, but his musical creations won㽶Ƶֱt be soon forgotten, not at the Lairds㽶Ƶֱ home, nor, undoubtedly, in many others across the country.

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martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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