Today, and actually the last few days, I have been completely absorbed in all things "Community in Bloom". It's a national competition for communities to highlight their effort in 7 or 8 different areas of good management and beautification of their communities. Yarmouth has been involved for 4 or 5 years now and we've always done very well because of the proud and wonderful people in our town. They might not all realize it, but there are little things that they do each day that contributes to our efforts in this competition.
Despite the name of the contest, it is more than just about floral displays, which is only one category that is considered. The major categories that we get judged in are: historical conservation, environmental action, tidiness, turf and ground-covering, landscaping, etc. Yarmouth has always done well because of our efforts to preserve our cultural heritage in the form of historic homes, the popular festivals that celebrate our seafaring legacy, and our pride in our past. We've also been a national leader in our waste management; despite the occasional complaints about the rules and very thorough procedures to do with the separation of recyclables, compost, waste, refundables- Yarmouth is actually setting a very high standard and example for the rest of the country and should take a lot of pride in the effort and success we are having with regards to that small thing most of us do everyday.
I say all that to say, Yarmouth, we've got something to be proud of and continue to develop and grow in!! We're much more than our flowers! My people of the day today, are Lorna and JoAnne, the Communities in Bloom judges that came to assess our town this year. I have been helping the committee out since the first year and have actually enjoyed being involved with presenting our wonderful town to the outside world, so they too might understand how incredible we are, hidden at the southwestern tip of NS. Lorna and JoAnne seemed to be duly impressed as they visited us, the second last of many communities they visited across Canada as part of the 2010 edition of the competition. Keep up the great work, Yarmouth!
Theme Song for today: Wildflower by Skylark (Kicking it old school Canadian there!)
No comments:
Post a Comment