(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

National Competition

Melfort looking to win National Communities in Bloom competition

Jun 27, 2022 | 4:03 PM

Melfort is one of 44 communities across the country looking to be recognized for its beauty and environmental standards.

Communities in Bloom (CiB) recently announced the nominees for the annual National and International competitions with the northeast Saskatchewan community taking part for the fourth straight year.

The past two years have been different from other years due to the COVID-19 pandemic with judges getting virtual tours of each community.

Peggy George, Melfort CiB member, told northeastNOW they’re excited to once again showcase the community in person.

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but really is it when you can see it with your own eyes.”

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The first time the community competed on the National level was in 2019. Despite not winning, the community received a score of five blooms, something George noted is very unheard of for so-called rookie communities.

“We weren’t winners in our category but just to attain those five blooms was absolutely huge.”

Instead of overall winners selected over the past two years, CiB decided to hold multiple awards to recognize communities that excelled in certain categories.

Melfort won three awards during that time: the 2020 Butchart Gardens Land Reclamation Award, the 2020 Scotts Community of Gardeners Award, and the 2021 TECK Community Appearance Award.

Despite moving back to the original competition format, George has confidence Melfort can still come out on top.

“Our facilities, our greenspaces, I think, are really amazing and we’re only 6,000 people, the tax base is from 6,000 people, it’s not from 26,000 which makes a huge difference.”

At the very least, they need to score 820 out of 1000 to remain in the National competition. If they win, they can move up to the International competition which features other communities like Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Wood Buffalo (Fort McMurray), Alberta.

The judges will be in Melfort on July 26 and 27 and are expected to visit multiple areas like the lagoon, cemetery, Main Street, the Wellness Centre, and the Kerry Vickar Centre.

George is asking the public to tidy up their properties for these dates to ensure the judges see the best Melfort possible.

Meanwhile, three other communities are taking part in the competition: Kinistino, Indian Head, and Maple Creek.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow