ATHABASCA – The Town of Athabasca is getting ready to compete at the next level of the annual Communities in Bloom (CiB) competition after its 2023 provincial win qualified the community for nationals.
CiB judges will be in town July 27 to 29 and they’ll be keeping a keen eye open for green initiatives, floral displays, and civic pride across Athabasca.
“People's involvement in Communities in Bloom is about taking pride in being part of this community; it can be as simple as keeping your lawn trimmed,” said town councillor Ida Edwards, who spearheads many of Athabasca’s CiB-related efforts.
Edwards said the town has traditionally scored highly in the civics-related categories — Athabasca has been competing since 1999 — and encouraged people to take the small steps to improve the tidiness of their homes and businesses.
“Effort in tidiness is the biggest one. Having good waste receptacles that are kept neat and tidy,” said Edwards.
“You would not believe how clean windows register in people’s minds; when they’re clean, you notice them, and when they aren’t, you notice that too. It just shows a bright, fresh look on the front of the building.”
Whether it’s a residential property or a business, Edwards encouraged Athabascans to put in some extra pride when it came to their summer landscaping. She said something as simple as pulling the weeds out of the sidewalks cracks could go a long way towards improving both the aesthetics and the lifespan of the town.
Part of the prep work for the judges tour will include efforts to get downtown businesses involved in the affair. In previous years, members of the CiB committee have dropped off bingo cards that businesses can fill out, which include everything from a clean, waste-free store to water bowls for pets on the sidewalk outside.
“It doesn’t cost a lot to sweep your sidewalks, clean your windows, pick up the litter every morning and keep the areas around your store as welcoming as possible,” said Sherrie Breese, owner of the Lollypop Thrift Store and member of the CiB group.
“If you have more money, you can look at freshening up paint or replacing a window that needs upgrading, but the cleaning side is just a little bit of elbow grease. A little bit of cleaning products makes everything brighter and more welcoming.”
A visual history
One of the questions many Athabascans have been asking in the lead up to this year’s contest is what happens with the rubble from the Grand Union Hotel? Edwards said she doesn’t expect the town to lose marks from the site — the judges were touring Athabasca last year while the hotel was on fire — despite heritage conservation being a part of the scoring criteria.
“The Grand Union was privately owned so the onus had to be on the owner to reach out and work with groups and unfortunately that didn’t happen, and now we’ve lost that building to that fire,” said Edwards.
Other historical buildings include the Old Brick School, the restored train station, and the Athabasca United Church. Judges also score communities on natural heritage, which includes native flora and fauna, and geological structures and formations.
Edwards said the town will be relying on its preservation efforts along the Tawatinaw River, along with the return of the native willow trees that were shorn by ice movement a few years back.
“Now they’re six or seven feet tall, so the native species really come back and grow in the right environment.”