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91ƵAbsolutely wonderful writer91Ƶ: Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot added to Salmon Arm91Ƶs 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 91ƵOur Musical Laureate - Gordon Lightfoot91Ƶ since the Canadian icon91Ƶs 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.

91ƵLinda got up Tuesday morning and said, 91ƵYou91Ƶre going to do something, right?91Ƶ91Ƶ 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 91Ƶmusical laureate91Ƶ or just 91Ƶlaureate.91Ƶ

Then things got rolling.

91ƵMy wife gets the credit for the idea and everybody else gets the credit for pitching in,91Ƶ 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.

91ƵI want to stress how much they helped,91Ƶ 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.

91ƵLinda was playing Lightfoot before I met her,91Ƶ 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.

91ƵHe91Ƶs 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.91Ƶ

This weekend, the 91ƵOur Musical Laureate - Gordon Lightfoot91Ƶ banner will be coming down, but his musical creations won91Ƶt be soon forgotten, not at the Lairds91Ƶ 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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