Communities in Bloom Week kicks off, July 27, just in time for judgement day.
The following day, Lucie Gagné and Piet Boersma—judges in the international Communities in Bloom (CiB) competition—will tour the town, meeting locals and sharing in all that Jasper has to offer, all while keeping score.
Like in previous years, the community will be judged on eight criteria: tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape, turf and ground-covers, floral displays and community involvement.
This is Jasper’s second year competing on the international stage. Last year, it received five blooms—the top mark a community can receive—but in overall points, it came in just behind Abbeyshrule, Ireland. So this year the Communities in Bloom Committee is gunning for the win, and hoping that the community’s record of winning every second year proves fruitful yet again.
(Jasper won at the provincial level in 2010, after competing for the first time in 2009, and it won on the national level in 2012, after competing at that level in 2011.)
“I’ll be sure to complain [if our record is ruined],” joked Colleen Green, of Jasper’s CiB committee.
CiB is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement.
This year, as well as competing in the international competition, Jasper is competing for outstanding achievement awards in the categories of winter life and floral displays.
Shannon Greer, of the CiB committee, said this year winter life and floral displays were chosen because both are amazing in Jasper.
For winter life, there are festivals like Jasper in January and the Canadian Rockies Snow Battle. And, as far as floral displays go, they’re everywhere and they’re fabulous.
“We’ve got some amazing floral displays in this town, pretty much every hotel has beautiful displays, most of the businesses downtown, let alone the residents—even the residents are getting really into the big floral baskets. So we felt we had a good chance in that aspect, too,” said Greer.
When the judges are in town next week, they will be treated to a tour of the entire town, both the beautiful and the not so beautiful.
They’ll see everything from the Robson House, where they’ll start their day with a welcome reception, to the industrial park.
“We’ve got nothing to hide,” said Green, who will be driving the judges to see the cemetery, waste water treatment plant, Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives, Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge, off-leash dog park, and some of the outlying commercial accommodations, including the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
“It’s about showing that we have a community behind our tourist town,” added Greer. “It’s about the community as a whole and demonstrating our community pride.”
To show your own community pride and to do your part to help Jasper succeed in the international competition, the CiB committee is asking everyone to take this weekend to tidy up their yards and back alleys, so they’re in tip-top shape for the judges.
“Take out your weed eater and just keep on going,” said Greer with a laugh.
“Adopt a block, if you want,” added Green.
The 2014 CiB winners will be announced at the organization’s annual symposium, which will take place Sept. 17–20 on Prince Edward Island.
Nicole Veerman
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