NIPAWIN — After taking a hiatus for over a decade, Nipawin Communities in Bloom is back and showing off what the community has to offer.
The program consists of communities receiving information and being evaluated either provincially or nationally on the accomplishments of their entire community.
Local Communities in Bloom chapters work to try to beautify the community in preparation.
The last time Nipawin Communities in Bloom competed was in 2005.
Chelsea Corrigan, Nipawin’s parks and recreation director and a member with Nipawin Communities in Bloom, said she was excited for the program’s return.
“It showcases your community and it does a lot for your community so we’re happy to have it back,” she said.
“It brings back community spirit and it’s a positive thing for Nipawin. They have six different categories and we feel like Nipawin has a lot of strength in each of those categories.
“We feel like Nipawin shares those qualities very well.”
The judged categories include environmental action, heritage conservation, turf and groundcovers, urban forestry, landscape, community involvement, and floral displays.
Provincial judges visited the town on Aug. 7, starting with a tour of downtown. The tour then moved onto Centre Street and Central Park, along with the pool and arena. The day ended with the Nipawin and District Regional Park.
Aug. 8 was more of a driving tour, starting at the town office. It moved onto various residential neighborhoods, and other stops including the water treatment plant, the museum and the Boreal Area Regional Waste Authority.
“I am so proud of Nipawin, I think we excelled,” Corrigan said. “The judges were blown away by the support the committee and Communities in Bloom had from the community. They could tell that Nipawin is a very proud, very clean community. It was evident everywhere I took them.”
Corrigan said the preparation process for the judging received a lot of support through the businesses and residents.
“Our floral displays look fantastic this year, they really show nice and are bright and are attractive downtown. We’ve had a lot of residents helping clean their yard and make sure their weeds are trimmed and that kind of thing,” Corrigan said. “Our garbage is picked up weekly and we have the recycling program now, so there has been a lot of work put in all aspects of Communities in Bloom.”
She hopes Communities in Bloom continues into next year and has more community interest.
“People are becoming more and more aware of Communities in Bloom and we feel like it inspires a sense of community pride for Nipawin.”
The results will be released in October.
