Snowy streets, small town charm, and everyone knowing your name – for locals and visitors alike, calling Sylvan Lake a “Hallmark community” is commonplace.
Mayor Megan Hanson is trying to take it from a cute description to reality by inviting the film company to shoot one of their renowned movies in the town, about 160 kilometers from Edmonton.
“It’s just a place where those kinds of romantic things happen,” she said.
Much of the town wholeheartedly agrees with the idea, including resident Sean McIntyre.
“Sylvan Lake is the authentic version of so many Hallmark storylines,” he said. “This is the place where people from the city come.”
Whether it be skating under twinkle lights on the frozen lake, at the Gulls baseball stadium, or at the town’s effort for the world’s longest pumpkin trail, the small municipality’s focus on aesthetic events for the community-minded residents could be a formula for success.
The bakery lady
The catalyst for the idea was former councillor and Hallmark devotee Teresa Rilling’s ambition to be a bakery lady extra in a film.
“I would meet with [film groups] to see what needed to be done to bring it to Sylvan Lake. I’ve been passionate about it for a long time,” she said.
“The world needs to see the beauty of this beautiful community.”
Teresa Rilling has lived in Sylvan Lake for 11 years. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
During her research, she found Sylvan Lake ticked many boxes of what a production crew would look for, including diversity of locations and the ability to film in different seasons.
Hanson said, during one of many chats with Rilling on the subject, that she thought it was time to take action and have the town make a pitch to Hallmark.
“What would it hurt to write a letter? I write letters in support of things all the time. What is one more? And this one, I think, is really neat.”
Love by the lake
The push to become a movie set isn’t just about aesthetics. The community’s warmth is what truly sets the scene for romance, according to local barista Mycah Feijen.
“They’ll actually start a conversation with you. They’re all interested in who you are.”
That kind of environment also breeds happily ever afters that aren’t scripted, but sound like they should be.
“My husband proposed to me at the very top of the lighthouse and he wrote, ‘Will you marry me?’ on the lake,” recounts Hanson.
“He somehow got the keys to the lighthouse from the mayor of the day, and brought me right up to the very top. We also had our wedding photos taken right by the same lighthouse for that exact reason.”
Meghan Hanson looks out the window of her office, decorated with her wedding photo in front of the lighthouse. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
But she isn’t the only one with their own Hallmark story. Take McIntyre and his high school sweetheart.
“I actually asked my wife to marry me on the beach,” he said.
“Not in the summertime, but on New Year’s Eve. I popped the question, and then there were fireworks. It was magical.”
Resident Elisha Hojnocki said the laid back, slower lifestyle means more people talk. That’s how she met her husband.
“We met on the beach, basically. And then 20 years ago, we got married right here on the beach.”
A variety of locations across town have holiday charm, like cafes with decor and fireplaces, the Sylvan Lake winter village, and a heart shaped sculpture one can attached locks to. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
Jared Waldo, the town’s communications officer, met his match at another popular couples meeting spot: the town’s hockey camp.
“We were working together and within a week, we kind of fell in love with each other and I proposed to her at centre ice at a hockey rink,” he said.
“When you’re here, you just feel connected to the people and places. It’s not something that you can really explain or describe, but it is something you can definitely feel.
“It’s magic.”
Making it happen
Hanson said bringing the film to town would not only be fun for the locals but would also be an economic boost both during filming, and longer term for tourism.
She says a followup to the letter is in the works, but that’s not the only preparation happening.
“We are doing the background work, and it’s not as flashy as writing a letter and sharing it on social media and sending it to Hallmark headquarters.”
The town’s culture department is looking into how to ensure bylaws and procedures are in place for when the call comes.
Between a 1990s romantic flick filmed in town – Sylvan Lake Summer – and a budding theatre community, Hanson doesn’t think it’s far off.
“When they do call, we’ll be ready. But I hope it’s soon.”