By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Picnic season 2025 may bring something new to Cobourg parks – picnic tables etched with poetry.
Wally Keeler got a warm reception at Wednesday’s Community Services, Protection and Economic Development standing committee sharing his proposal for what he termed his Poetchry project that began when he purchased a laser etcher.
The first stage of the project will be unveiled Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. at the Cobourg Ecology Garden.
“I am in touch with poets across the country and can make a call for submissions of poetry to be etched on to picnic tables,” Keeler continued, calling it “a new form of publishing” for a medium mostly shared through library books and poorly attended readings.
“This is a way of putting poetry into the public domain.”
Keeler added that Cobourg poet laureate emeritus Ted Amsden is on board with the project, offering guidance to make sure nothing inappropriate is etched.
There would be no cost to the town, other than carting the picnic tables to and from their lasering. And apart from a similar project involving five steel tables worth $10,000 each that were lasered through a Library of Congress project in the US, this will be a first of its kind.
Though they can’t afford steel, Keeler said, they hope to extend the 10-year lifespan of these tables with a special preservative that can add a couple of years.
He wants to start with poets who have specific Cobourg connections, like former Superior Court Judge (and former town councillor) James Clarke and former Cobourg resident Richard Green, winner of the Governor General’s Award for poetry.
The request made was for access to 50 tables.
Committee member Adam Bureau said he was reminded of recent projects such as painted picnic tables and painted garbage cans.
“I love art in public spaces,” Bureau stated.
“To me, working with the staff and having poetry on picnic tables for next year, I think, is amazing.”
The committee voted to refer the idea to staff for a report.
