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For nearly 50 years, every February, Portland, Maine, was suddenly covered in these signs of love. Who put the hundreds of red hearts up was a decades long mystery.

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The Valentine's Day bandit throughout the Portland area remains a mystery. It's been going on since 1976.

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But it wasn't until last April that the local legend, the Valentine's Day bandit, was finally revealed, but revealed in an obituary for a man named Kevin Farman.

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Tell me more about your dad.

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He didn't like being in the spotlight, but when you got him going. He was just the most fun person in the room.

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So this February, the first without him, Kevin's daughter, Cierra, led the effort to keep it going.

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Why is it so important for you now to keep this tradition going?

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For me, this is helpful to carry on his legacy and keep him around and alive and not forgotten.

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It does keep him alive in a way, doesn't it?

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Yeah.

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Oh, my God. There it is.

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So in the middle of the freezing cold New England night, Cierra and dozens of volunteers went to work, putting this symbol of love everywhere. And when the city woke up this Valentine's Day, there were hundreds of them at City Hall, on businesses, on the local theater.

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It makes me feel happy. It's so cute. Love is contagious, and it's spreading like wildfire all over Portland.

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And look at this. Someone even made sure to put one up out at sea on Portland's streets, window after window decked out in hearts. Some of those volunteers gathering later that night to celebrate Kevin and what they all did.

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We have to keep this tradition going.

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There was an opportunity for our community to come forward and feel that tremendous loss. This isn't just about Kevin. This is about impact on community.

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I hope I do it justice.

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And Cierra didn't just stop there. She also created a new foundation dedicated to her dad's favorite causes.

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He made people feel seen. He made people feel important. She took took what was probably the hardest moment of her young life and flipped it around to something positive.

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A legacy of love blanketing the city this February and all year round.

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Thanks for watching. Stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.