Who is Portland’s Valentine’s Day Bandit?
Portlanders have been asking that question since 1976, but even though the phantom-like local Cupid continues to warm our hearts each February 14th, he (or she, or they) continue to leave us scratching our heads, asking, “how the heck does the Bandit keep pulling it off?”
Here’s a 2001 story written by BDN staff writer Beth Brogan explaining the history of the local legend:
“On Feb. 14, 1976, Portland residents awoke to find hundreds of red hearts, printed on white 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper, taped to doors, windows, telephone poles – just about any surface available in downtown Portland.
Police and city officials were baffled, with no idea who had sneaked through the city during the wee hours of Valentine’s Day to adorn buildings with this symbol of love.
The next year, a newspaper reporter set out to track down the “Valentine’s Day Phantom.”
One print shop employee remembered a man in his early twenties ordering 1,000 copies of the red heart. The job order listed the customer as “Mr. Thought.” A check of his address showed that one “Ian Valentine” lived there. Mr. Valentine denied any involvement.
That same year, a Portland policeman remembered seeing a 20-something with strawberry blond hair and a full beard in Congress Square around 2 a.m. The man told him, “I’m in love and I want everybody to be my Valentine.”
By 1979, the mysterious Valentine bandit had hit the federal building, the county courthouse, City Hall, the Holiday Inn, the Cumberland County Civic Center and even a handful of police cruisers.
The phantom reached new heights in 1984 when he hung white banners with red hearts, each about 20 feet by 35 feet, from the east wall of the Civic Center and from the Portland Museum of Art.
In 1986, he even made a trip to Fort Gorges in Casco Bay to hang a banner. That adventure almost ended the phantom’s nocturnal visits. The Island Romance ferry barely missed a small outboard carrying seven people.
Amid speculation that the bandit was rappelling from a helicopter or might even be Spiderman, the hearts continued.
One extra-special Valentine made an appearance along Congress Street (in 2001). Flying proudly atop the Central Fire Station was a familiar white flag with a big red heart.”
Regardless of who the Bandit is, let’s hope the tradition continues for generations to come. It’s yet another reason to love Portland, and serves as a wonderful reminder that love is all around us, sometimes you’ve just got to open your eyes and look around a bit.
Check out the pics I found on Instagram and Facebook of Portlanders spreading the love: