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This will be the first Valentine’s Day in decades without the Valentine bandit, the long-unknown person who plastered red hearts around Portland, including a large banner on Fort Gorges on a small island in Casco Bay.
Kevin Fahrman was revealed by his family as the bandit last year after he died in April. He had hung hearts in the Portland area for Valentine’s Day since 1979.
“For decades, this mysterious figure warmed the hearts of the city by placing hundreds of red paper hearts on storefronts and notable landmarks, and huge banners in unexpected places,” his family said in an obituary. “Kevin’s simple yet powerful gesture brought joy and love to the community, reminding us all to cherish our loved ones and treasure the place we call home.”
Even without Fahrman, it is likely the tradition of festooning places in Portland with red hearts on Feb. 14 will continue. Members of his family will gather at a Portland brewery on Valentine’s Day to talk about continuing Fahrman’s bandit tradition as well as his larger philanthropic work, according to a press release.
As much as the red hearts and banners spread joy, it is Fahrman’s larger message of joy and love that we all need to carry on, on Valentine’s Day and every day. Around Portland and the rest of Maine.
We can do that by simply being kind to one another. As Fahrman showed, we should do this not for recognition, but because it makes our state and the world a better place.
“As we move forward, we must honor his memory by emulating his generosity of spirit, his selflessness, and his unwavering support for others,” his family said in his obituary. “We strive to carry the light he brought into our lives, allowing his spirit to guide us in our quest to be better people.”
Being better people doesn’t have to involve unfurling banners on old forts or buildings. It can be a kind word or gesture. It can be giving your time or money to a local charity. It can be shoveling a walkway or bringing a hot meal to a neighbor who is alone. It can be mentoring a child who lacks a role model.
Whatever you choose to do, know that a simple gesture of goodwill can make a difference.
Fahrman’s family wrote about striving to carry the light he shared with others. We are reminded that this continues to be a job for all of us. So we go back to something we wrote last year when we learned of his identity and his sudden death.
“We all have a role to play in carrying this light, not just on Valentine’s Day and not just with heart signs and banners, but in how we treat each other on a daily basis,” we wrote in an April 24 editorial. “Kevin Fahrman has given us a message that transcends his medium. It now falls to the rest of us — beyond those who will hopefully continue filling Portland with literal hearts on Valentine’s Day — to keep this tradition going throughout the year, simply but importantly, by being kind to one another.”
