By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga News Staff Writer
Last Spring, Julianne Hansen had an idea for Memorial Day to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our country.
Hansen, fine art and pottery business owner in downtown Prattville, decided that she, along with the help of her husband Steven Hansen, would create ceramic poppies to symbolize those lost in American wars, as well as for those who returned home still afflicted by the battles they experienced.
Last year, the Hansens handmade 1,001 poppies, which where subsequently put onto display in the field across from the Prattville dam. This year, that number was more than doubled as 2,021 poppies, made exclusively by Hansen Fine Art & Pottery, are available for viewing at the same location.
Poppies were “sponsored” and tied with a ribbon that states the name of the honoree.
“It’s really cool to be able to know that these are people who are not being forgotten. I think sometimes people forget and think that this is just a great weekend to have a barbeque and day off of work, but why is it that? It’s so crucial that we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Hansen said.
It’s personal for Hansen, a Gold Star Mother, after losing her step-son, Kyle, in 2017. He was a member of the United States Air Force.
Amid her grief sprung action, and she along with Steven where able to forever honor their son, as well as many others, through their Alabama Poppy Project.
It’s a daunting task that required over 2,250 pounds of clay, 17 Gallons of Red Glaze, 337 pounds (2,017 linear ft) of 1/4″ steel rods, 3,256 hours of kiln firing, and 1,975 ft of White Satin Ribbon this year.
“There’s a very reverent feeling that comes across the field of poppies, almost like when you walk into a cemetery. But it’s not depressing because everything is blooming and alive. I think that’s one of the best reasons why the poppy is such a great example because the seed pods inside them carry hundreds and hundreds of seeds, which to me represent the legacy of all of these people. What they did, did not die with them,” Hansen said.
So why were poppies chosen as the symbol for those honored?
It stems from the poem, “In Flanders Fields” by Lt. Col. John McCrae who served as a field surgeon in World War I. During the poem, McCrae recalls the beautiful sight of poppies that grew on the graves of fallen comrades. Much of McCrae’s poem deals with preoccupation from death and how it stands as the transition between the struggle of life and the peace that follows.
The poppy has since been recognized as the International Symbol of Remembrance, Hansen said.
This year, Hansen was able to do the Poppy Project the way that she always envisioned it – with more flowers, a Taps ceremony, and a visit from the Alabama Sons of the Revolution. All of this transpired on Sunday night, in the field across from the Prattville dam at sundown. An American flag was also projected across the Cotton Gin Factory.
“It’s so overwhelming to see how many people came out here to be a part of the project. You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful evening and a supportive and understanding community,” Hansen said.
If there was ever a sign that Hansen should continue the project the moving forward, she said that it came last year from the most unlikely of sources – a flock of geese.
“I joked last year and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a flyover,’ and just as I said that a flock of geese came flying over us in the delta formation. Over the field, one peels off like the missing man on a mission. I lost it. That was the most organic, authentic flyover that I’ve ever witnessed,” Hansen said.
Through pain and loss, Hansen herself has helped bring a semblance of peace and comfort for those who will never be able to hold their loves ones again. And there’s still time for you to be a part of it as well. Her exhibit will remain open until June 5th and is free to attend.
Those wanting to know more about the sponsoring or purchasing of a poppy can do so at https://www.alabamapoppyproject.com/?fbclid=IwAR1zBlBh4C0Ig4t_-bevULykrOWeJ482QrqhKRUutOGSU3MMRlSq3BaLHcw
