Christine Whelan, FEO, December 5, 2024, VOL. 6 ISSUE 7

Just weeks before the world began to change forever, two Fort Erie residents silently set up a Facebook group, not knowing the impact it would have on their community for years to come.

Fort Erie – “Our Town” was created on December 6, 2019, designed to spread inspiration and positivity with beautiful and encouraging text.

The beginning of Fort Erie – “Our Town”

Allan Hackett and Charlene Sollen, lifetime locals, introduced the group to their community by using their first photo of Bertie Hall, aka the Dollhouse Museum, as its identifying banner.

The group was to be a place to post photos of the past and present, only of the Fort Erie, Ridgeway, Crystal Beach, Black Creek and Stevensville areas. They wanted to focus on the Greater Fort Erie area’s beautiful, humorous and otherwise entertaining aspects.

In the beginning, it was Allan and Charlene who posted their photos on the group so others could reap the benefits.

“I got excited when we reached 300 members,” Allan remembers with a laugh during a recent conversation.

The Inspiration Behind Fort Erie – “Our Town”

Several years ago, Allan had an accident at work and suffered a concussion.  He couldn’t go back to work.

“I got tired of lying around and was getting depressed,” Hackett shared.

He says he had been posting online when Charlene started noticing his photos.

“We reconnected after many years and started hanging out, taking pictures. She started showing me stuff.” He was referring to tricks to take better pictures as Charlene was a photographer.

Allan described how he and Charlene would go for a hike by the water and take pictures. This is when he started noticing the reflections.

Photography Came From His Concussion

Hackett had no idea he had a talent, a gift for photography until 2020. He believes it developed because of his injury a couple of years prior.

“When you get a concussion, it changes you, how you see things. I never noticed all this before.” It slowed him down to a new level of awareness.

Allan admitted that getting out regularly and taking pictures, changed everything for him. It gave him a reason to move. “If I stop moving, I get sore.” It also keeps his mood up.

Then the Pandemic Hit

Just as the two co-creators began to make themselves known to this group, the community collectively scrambled to bring a sense of comfort and well-being into their homes and their hearts.

“People were locked in and turning more to social media,” Allan remarked.

This group drew people in because there was a focus on positivity. It became an escape. During the lockdown, this helped others with their mental health, balancing out the negative they had to be exposed to during those days.

Once isolation set in, “Our Town” had created a haven; a part of many residents’ daily coping routine. With 834 members, almost 6,000 incredible photos by gifted amateurs, often using just their phones, flooded the group feed.

Fort Erie – “Our Town” saw Fort Erie through the initial shock and adjustment of isolation, Mother’s Day, and the awakening of spring with every colour of the spectrum. It captured all the memories and stories Fort Erie has now tucked away.

There is no advertising, politics, or reporting of crime. “Our Town” comes to you, via Facebook, full of eye candy and positivity, taking life at a slower pace to enjoy, and to hopefully make you smile.

The Calendars

By December 2020, a plan was set to create a Fort Erie – “Our Town” calendar, a visual documentation of a year we want to both push away from our consciousness and never forget — 2020.

Charlene took on this task, and it was a big one. Each year, for three years, she fit time into her busy schedule for weeks until the collecting and choosing of the photos, the design of the calendar, the ordering, and the distribution of the finished products were completed.

With everyone’s schedule so busy, it is unfortunate that calendars will not be made this year and they will be missed.

Meeting in Person

Beginning in the days of lockdown, many connected with each other through this group. They became each other’s support system and, in some ways, family. And for many, they had not met once. As the pandemic restrictions lifted, a Meet and Greet was planned. This was not to be a family reunion but a family union.

Members of the group met, many for the first time, on the grounds of the Fort Erie Optimist Club in September 2022. Some hadn’t seen each other in years, some not since the beginning of the first lockdown.

And, of course, there were many pictures taken.  A group shot became the cover photo of the 2023 calendar.

And Now, Five Years Later…

There are 27.5K members, endless photos taken from hundreds of contributors, and a plethora of stories woven together. There are a handful of moderators to help maintain that haven. Allan admitted he never thought the group would get as big as it has. He thanks all who have helped in these five years.

“We have documented Fort Erie’s recent history in photographs,” he commented in appreciation.

Happy Anniversary Fort Erie – “Our Town”! After five years, you’ve become a source of therapy, a support group to many, considered one of Fort Erie’s top means of communication, maintained a level of positivity that is quite rare on social media, provided a unique brand of entertainment, and quite frankly, has become a Fort Erie household name.

Congratulations!