The Town of Kamsack was awarded “four Blooms” in the 2016 Saskatchewan Communities in Bloom competition.
Entered in the category for communities with a population from 1,001 to 2,000, Kamsack, along with Shaunavon received four Blooms. Eston was the winner of the category with five Blooms.
Kamsack’s entry received special mention for “overall tidiness, the Trackside Gardens and the Kamsack Cenotaph.
On August 11, Brenda Winny of Rosetown and Marion Kelly of Unity toured the community as judges for the competition and prior to taking an aerial view of the community, they told the Times that it was a tidy community with hospitable people.
“Everything is in great shape and you have all the amenities here,” Kelly had said.
The Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA) announced the winners of this year’s Saskatchewan Communities in Bloom program on October 5 and recognized all 43 of the provincial participants “after another very successful year.”
Communities in Bloom participants work towards enhancing their community in relation to the following six criteria: Tidiness, Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Urban Forestry, Landscape and Floral Displays.
The judges said that the following provincial winners excelled in these six criteria: Population Category 501 – 1,000, Town of Gull Lake, four Blooms with a special mention for community involvement; Population Category 1,001 – 2,000, Town of Eston, five Blooms, with a special mention for its community profile book and Centennial Park, and Population Category 5,000 and higher, City of Moose Jaw, four Blooms with a special mention for community involvement and bike park development.
Special recognition was also accorded to those communities representing Saskatchewan in the 2016 National Communities in Bloom Competition. The following communities’ achievements and the national competition results will be announced at the Communities in Bloom National Symposium on Parks and Grounds, hosted in conjunction with the SPRA Annual Conference in Regina on October 27-29: Village of Denzil, Town of Kinistino, Town of Maple Creek, City of Humboldt, Town of Ituna and the Town of Indian Head.
“Through the hard work and dedication of these participants, the Communities in Bloom motto continues to be achieved – People, Plants and Pride…Growing Together, said information from Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association. “Communities in Bloom continues to assist in building communities across Saskatchewan.”
The SPRA is a non-profit member-based organization whose purpose is to promote, develop and facilitate parks and recreation opportunities throughout the province, the information said. SPRA is recognized as the provincial umbrella organization representing parks and recreation in Saskatchewan and manages the Recreation Section of the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation. In partnership with the Communities in Bloom national organization, SPRA has coordinated the Saskatchewan Communities in Bloom program since 1997.
Communities in Bloom (CiB) is a provincial program and national organization that recognizes community participation in projects involving community enhancement, beautification, heritage and environmental awareness, it said. Participants are evaluated on the quality of the municipality's green spaces, dedication to quality of living, general tidiness, environmental awareness, heritage and the level of community involvement.
It is a great opportunity for communities to generate civic pride and local participation, while gaining recognition across the country, the information said. Communities may choose to be evaluated in the program through either competitive or non-competitive participation categories.
