A Sudbury-area mechanical contractor is bringing a bit of Christmas cheer to the community with a brightly lit star shining out across the western reaches of the city.
Anmar – which specializes in mechanical engineering, intallations and custom mechanical solutions – has fabricated a 30-foot-wide star, which has been suspended from a 300-foot-tall crane in its yard on Fielding Road just outside the community of Lively.
The crane was specifically put together for this purpose. The star is secured with the help of guy-wires.
Anmar hoisted its first star at Christmas in 2018. But the company has displayed similar, smaller versions of the festive symbol over the holidays at its projects around the province, and at its Mumford Road head office, for many years.
“It's been a tradition for a long time,” said Darcy Bourdage, Anmar's crane superintendent.
“In the past, it was a smaller crane, so we had smaller stars. We used to have one up at Mumford Drive at the head office. It didn't stand out so much.”
Describing the star as an emblem of family and Christmas, Bourdage said its annual appearance is a tradition that's particularly anticipated by Anmar employees.
“A couple weeks ago before we had it up, everybody and their brother asked me, 'When are you putting that star up, by the way?'” he said.
“I don't get much feedback from the public, just the odd construction guy we run across. It seems like everybody likes it. Well, how could you not like it?”
Anmar is a family-run company owned by the Grossi family.
In addition to its headquaters in Lively, the company and its affiliates (Castec & Talos Steel) maintain offices in Sault Ste. Marie and Hamilton; Taranto, Italy; Krugersdorp, South Africa; Calama, Chile; and Santiago, Chile.
The original version of this story first appeared on Sudbury.com.
