A crop of giant candy canes have popped up all over Boardman. The sweet idea for the festive holiday display was sparked after Boardman Chamber Executive Director Diane Wolfe, along with Kathie McGowan, took a Dec. 2010 trip to view the Bavarian Village in Leavenworth, Wash.

Made from 10-foot long PVC pipe, 88 oversized candy canes were erected all over town Dec. 3 the result of a true community effort.

Wolfe and McGowan enjoyed all the festive sights and displays in Leavenworth and particularly took notice of an area with great big candy canes.

We went over and checked them out, thinking those could be really cool in Boardman, Wolfe said. We took a few pictures and talked about how we could make this work.

After returning home, with no street decorations in Boardman, Wolfe and McGowan began brainstorming about how to get a candy cane project going. After presenting the idea to the Boardman Chamber board and the Boardman City Council late last winter, the pair received the blessings of both groups.

At that time you think Christmas is a long ways off, but we knew we had to get on it or the project wouldnt happen, Wolfe said.

The next step was to secure financial backing for the project, Wolfe said. Saying it was a great beautification project, the Boardman Community Development Association gave approval this fall to fund the purchase of candy canes.

With an idea in their heads and money in their pockets, Wolfe and McGowan needed to find someone with knowledge and skills to build the candy canes. 

We got to a stumbling point, Wolfe said. We had an idea but we werent sure how to go about it.

Thats where city employee Guy Marzek came in. Instead of visions of sugar-plums dancing in his head, Marzek saw PVC pipe being bent into the shape of candy canes. Marzek shared his vision with Port of Morrow employees Gary Neal and Rolf Prag.

Offering the chamber a good deal on PVC pipe, Wolfe said H.D. Fowler delivered a load to the Port for Prag and his maintenance crew to get to work. Fire Chief Marc Rogelstad then offered the heated bays at the Boardman Rural Fire Protection District for crews to decorate the candy canes.

Busy as elves in Santas shop, a pair of work parties concentrated on putting stripes and ribbons on the candy canes. Along with Wolfe, McGowan and Marzek, helpers included Karen Pettigrew, Jim and Margie Hollandsworth, Darren Zimmerman, Julie Gisi, Stefanie Swindler and Don Drayton.

The candy canes were put up all along Main Street, as well as near the Boardman Senior Center and Boardman City Hall.

We sincerely appreciate everyone that made the candy cane project such a success, Wolfe said. We are really excited about how much better Main Street looks this holiday season.