For the first time in their involvement with the Communities in Bloom Program, Summerland did not walk away from the annual CiB awards ceremony with a first place win.

In 2006, mentored by Kelowna in the Canadian Classic category, a win with five blooms was awarded to Summerland with special mention of the waterfront riparian project.

In 2007 in the Provincial category, a win with five blooms was received noting the community involvement through the contributions of the Summerland Asset Development Initiative.

And this year, although the Ontario community of King was the recipient of first place in the 10,000 to 20,000 population category, Summerland as a national finalist received five blooms and special mention for its natural habitat heritage conservation.

Judges Odette Sabourin-Dumais and Brendan Casement explained in their evaluation, “Summerland… is a thriving community with pine dotted hills, a patchwork of orchards and vineyards and with good recreational facilities to welcome visitors. Giant’s Head Mountain, a remnant of an extinct volcano, has been preserved in its natural state and invites hikers to walk to the summit to take advantage of the tremendous view of the area. Along the shoreline of the lake, the efforts being made to restore areas to their natural state are paying dividends; native flora has been planted and the native fauna are finding these sites, becoming established and thriving.”

Summerland CiB Committee member Dale MacDonald recently attended the 15th edition of the Communities in Bloom National Awards Ceremony on Oct. 3 held in the Vaughan, Ont.

“It was quite the regal affair with over 500 people in attendance including representatives from the US, England, Ireland, Japan and Australia. The bottom line with this program for us however, is that over the years that we have taken part we can look at many initiatives that came about due to our participation and, in the end our community benefited from things that we learned: environmental suggestions, horticultural advancements within the municipal structure and upgrading of parks and green space. The one aspect of our community that always wowed the judges was the terrific and supportive community involvement, the work accomplished by Summerland’s volunteers.”

CiB chair Donna Lane added her thoughts thanking committee members Helen Poncelet, Marilyn Hansen, Sherril Foster, Celia and Don Burton and Dale MacDonald for all of their efforts. Lane hopes that down the road the program can be carried on in Summerland as nothing but good things have come about as a result of our involvement.

At the Awards Ceremony, National Chairman Ted Blowes and Raymond Carrière, Président Fondateur, on behalf of the National Committee, Judges and Sponsors, sincerely thanked all the communities for their involvement in the program.

“Within the actual context of global warming and environmental challenges, all can rightfully and proudly state that, through the efforts of all those involved in their communities, they are actually contributing to the solutions.”

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility, and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program, with focus on the promotion of green spaces in urban settings.