The town's Communities in Bloom committee kicked off the gardening season with a barrel planting competition on June 9 at Centennial Park.Mayor Judy Dahl, council members, town employees and other community groups brought flowers and planted them in barrel liners, which will then be set up in front of the Town of Olds municipal office.“We invite people who've helped Communities in Bloom along in the years and to appreciate people who do things like make beautiful gardens,” said Gerda Vester, the Communities in Bloom committee chair.Members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite barrel and the winners will be announced by the end of August.Communities in Bloom is an international competition between municipalities, which are judged on tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscaping and floral displays.It's more than just community beautification and aims to build community spirit and partnerships, Vester said.The Town of Olds is not entering this year as the committee is focusing on expansion, she continued.However, the committee is involved in other programs such as the school garden at Deer Meadow School and the Beautiful Garden Awards, to take place at the Harvest Festival on Sept. 21 in Centennial Park.“We've built really good partnerships with Uptowne Olds and we have the chamber of commerce involved this year as well. We've got vendors coming, lots of exciting stuff,” Vester said.The colours this year for Communities in Bloom are green, gold, white and fushia.Those colours will be in honour of the Mountain View Museum and Archives and Accredited Supports to the Community, both groups which are celebrating their 40th anniversaries.“What we try and do for each year is pick flower colours that celebrate something,” Vester [email protected]
