With Glowing Hearts: Kingston Businesses Display Neon Signs to Show Solidarity in Tough Times

March 15, 2021 ctn_admin

When things got tough, Kingston got resiliet.

This small city in eastern Ontario has remained a leader in protecting its residents and preventing mass spread of COVID-19 in the area. The businesses and the tourism industry in town haven’t been unscathed. But the love can be seen across the city, keeping spirits up and reminding residents and business owners in the community that they are ‘all in it together.”

There are now 300 glowing neon hearts (and counting) adorning many windows in the downtown core.

Named by the Conference Board of Canada as one of the pandemic’s top five hardest hit cities in Canada, Kingstonians have been banding together and finding ways to lift spirits amid the chaos of 2020. In December, the City of Kingston and Tourism Kingston partnered to launch the Love Kingston winter campaign, with lighting installations throughout the city and glowing neon hearts placed in store windows. 

When Tourism Kingston gifted 300 retailers these neon hearts for the holidays, many took this as an act of solidarity, standing behind the roots of Kingston’s cultural scene and showing the community that they stand stronger together – it turned into an unspoken appreciation of Kingston’s usually vibrant downtown core. When stores started placing the hearts in their windows, residents quickly jumped at the chance to show their love as well.

Since then, many community members have reached out to show their support wanting to purchase neon hearts themselves, and Tourism Kingston has since ordered an additional 300 hearts with the aim to have as many businesses (and houses) glowing as possible.

“Early on in the pandemic “Love Kingston” launched as a shop local campaign that quickly gained traction with the community as a way to express love for the city and the independent businesses that call it home. It became the thematic for our winter lighting installation in the downtown core,” said Megan Knott, Executive Director of Tourism Kingston. “Just as hearts were displayed for health care heroes, the neon hearts are a way for small businesses to show unity in the face of the economic impact of the pandemic.“

A lovely idea. Oh, and here’s a link to a story I filed about a visit to Kingston late last summer, when travel was a little more free and easy than it is now. It’s a terrific destination for when the time is right to travel again.

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