ATHABASCA – The Town of Athabasca welcomed two Alberta judges to evaluate the collaborative efforts of the municipality, industry and residents to care for and improve the community.
Communities in Bloom judges Sherry Cote from Bruderheim and Helen Haske from Didsbury received an in-depth tour of Athabasca July 31 as they assessed multiple aspects of the community’s upkeep and sustainability efforts.
Province-wide judging for the program began in July, and Athabasca is one of 16 communities involved this year. Results of the judging will be presented during an award ceremony in the fall and Athabasca’s bloom ranking will be available on the Athabasca Communities in Bloom Facebook page and the Communities in Bloom website.
Town councillor and Athabasca Communities in Bloom committee representative Ida Edwards led the tour, and noted the program is about more than flowers and foliage.
“I think what’s really interesting about Communities in Bloom is it gets lost in the floral display world. That’s an important aspect of it — our floral displays are top notch, beautiful, inspiring, and we have a dedicated crew taking care of them. But we have some really awesome heritage buildings that have been revitalized … so all those things tie together,” said Edwards.
The tour included lunch at the Pleasant Valley Lodge, a visit to Athabasca Regional Waste and heritage buildings such as the historic train station and United Church. Judges evaluate communities on six criteria: community appearance; environmental action; heritage conservation; tree management; landscape; and plant and floral displays.
“My favourite is hearing from people (in the community),” said Edwards. “The garden club people, waste management people, even our parks and rec have met with the judges and talked to them over the years.”
“Just hearing how their part means a lot to them, and it’s so special being able to share it in the big picture of our community,” she added. “Everybody has a little piece of the puzzle.”
Athabasca first participated in 1999, while in 2022, the town won first place in the 2,001 to 6,000 population category, receiving a rating of five out of five blooms. Athabasca also took first place in the same provincial category in 2001 with four blooms and won the national title in the population category for Alberta in 2005.
Athabasca Communities in Bloom is a committee operated by Athabasca District Chamber of Commerce and participation next year is likely, Edwards said, but must be presented to and approved by the chamber. Planning and preparation for the initiative typically begins in January.
