
June 10, 2015 · 0 Comments
Orangeville Communities In Bloom is working toward getting residents more involved in the program, through a series of contests available to homeowners, businesses and other residents in town, including children.
“What we’re really hoping to do is to generate more community spirit, and help the community to work together and build an even better community for all of us to live in,” explained Ted Zarudny, Chair of Communities In Bloom (CIB). “It’s just a friendly contest between everyone; we’re not going to go out and be overly critical of everyone’s work.”
This is the first year that the Orangeville CIB is hosting these contests, and while they’re not expecting to get a huge response, Mr. Zarudny said that interest has been spreading quite quickly throughout the town.
The categories being judged in the first year of the competition include:
• Best Bloomin’ children’s garden
for kids aged 12 and under
• Best edible garden
• Best floral display
• Best landscaping homeowner
• Best bloomin’ business
• Best industrial/commercial
• Best place of worship
• Best School
• Best container gardens for homeowners and apartment balconies
• est seniors residence
“The entire contest is to help encourage the community to just get out there, have fun and help make our community look great,” said Mr. Zarudny. “We’re hoping after this year it will really take off once people know more and see what it’s all about.”
The judges for the contest will be made up of a mix of committee members from the Orangeville CIB and members from the Horticultural society, and a number of community organizations have come on board as sponsors, including the Amaranth Lions, the Town of Orangeville, Dufferin Garden Centre and Home Hardware. They also had Whispering Pines Landscape come on board as a surprise sponsor this year.
“We’re also looking into the possibility of putting a best floral display of the week section in the local newspapers, to help celebrate the different gardens and arrangements people are making regularly,” added Mr. Zarudny.
Another initiative Communities In Bloom is looking at is helping students at Credit Meadows school put together two 4×8 foot raised vegetable gardens, which the YMCA daycare will help take care of in the summer.
“We’d like to see this expand next year to other schools, and we’d eventually like to see them all have gardens,” he added. “When you look at a lot of kids, most of them don’t know where their food comes from, other than that they get it at the grocery store. The don’t relate to the farmers who produce the food. Creating their own gardens would give them the chance to do that and help them be more cognizant about food production.”
Orangeville will also be judged as part of a provincial contest for the best looking community, with provincial-level judges coming in to look at the community and its gardens. The provincial contest awards winning communities in six different categories: Tidiness, Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Urban Forestry, Landscape and Floral Displays.
“Everything that Communities in Bloom does is to enrich the Town of Orangeville,” said Mr. Zarudny. “And 100 percent of all donations and funds that our committee receives goes back into the community.”
For the local contest, winners will receive prizes sponsored by Scott’s, which will include gift packages with Scott’s products, a sign identifying them as a winner, an official letter, and more.
“Really though, everyone who keeps a nice lawn is a winner,” said Mr. Zarudny.
Anyone interested in participating in this year’s competition can pick up an entry form from Parson’s Florist, Dufferin Gardent Centre, 10 & 10 Garden Centre and at Home Hardware. The application deadline is July 8th.
For more information you can find Orangeville Communities In Bloom on Facebook, or email orangevillecommunitiesinbloom@gmail.com.