Olds Communities in Bloom (CiB) committee is alive and well, says Gerda Vester.
The recently elected chair has formulated a plan with the other six member of the committee that will integrate CiB with existing community groups.
“We want to be out there in the public so people know that we're still around,” said Vester last Tuesday.
“Last year, we hadn't really done much.”
Vester says because of this, there has been a misconception amongst residents of Olds that the group wasn't active this year.
But this idea has and will continue to be rectified, she says.
The certified arborist and ornamental horticulturalist hopes to bring some of her successes abroad (she built gardens in Japan and Utah, and worked in and improved a butterfly garden in Hong Kong) back to Olds.
Already, the group has made itself a fan page on Facebook, and soon plans to open a twitter account.
“This year I think we're really going to work on community involvement and try and hook up with different groups,” said Vester.
“We want to be in the public eye as much as possible.”
As a part of their campaign of awareness, Vester also hopes to find a place to post a “Bloomer of the Week” photo.
“People could call in to us and say, ‘this person's yard is awesome, could you come and take a picture of it?' and then everyone could see it.”
Also, groups with similar goals and interests could benefit from partnering instead of going solo, she says.
“People can do a little bit here, and a little bit there, but if we're all working together, then it's for the goodness of the community,” said Vester.
For example, Olds CiB has been in discussions with the Olds Historical Society about teaming up for a historical home and garden tour, which they hope could be an event during the upcoming Summer Oldstice (held by the Uptowne Olds committee).
They also hope to have a garden tour in tandem with the Garden Club of Olds.
With all the action and plans Olds CiB has underway, why then have they chosen not to compete in the contest this year?
They're even unsure as to when the Olds CiB plans to compete next, says Vester.
“Right now we don't really want to because they're talking of redoing Uptowne Olds.
“We want to know what sort of renovations they'll be doing first, because a lot depends on that in order to enter the competition.”
Uptowne renovations could affect the judging of Olds in two of the eight categories that communities are judged on by the international CiB group.
These categories (or “pillars” as the CiB calls them) include floral, historical, landscaping, heritage, community involvement, turf, environmental awareness, and tidiness, of which presumably renovations could affect the historical and tidiness categories.
Blooms (like the five-star rating system for hotels) are awarded on how a town measures up to the eight pillars of judging.
Over the years, of which this is the group's 13th, Olds CiB has garnered the five bloom award.
“It does say a lot for our town, even though the year we got the five blooms we didn't win the provincial competition.”
“That's the thing. When we are competing, town staff is really involved, and they work so hard to do so many things. We try to get a lot of interest, and I think we do.
“But when we're not competing, the hard part is to make sure that people do realize we're still around.”
That's exactly what she and her group of seven plan to do this year.
“A lot of these ladies are on other committees as well. Not many people volunteer.
“That's another one of the things we're trying to do this year, is to get more people involved. Especially younger people.”
She hopes their involvement in social media sites will achieve this.
Watch for CiB posters soon to be put up in local greenhouses to let residents know what the official CiB colour scheme is for the town this year.
“This summer's colours are shades of purple,” says Vester.
In conjunction with the shades of purple colour scheme, CiB is holding a contest for the best shades of purple display, for which three prizes will be given. Applicants are asked to upload their photos to CiB's Facebook page "Olds Communities in Bloom,” or send them via e-mail to [email protected]. If you're not in the digital age, call Donna at (403) 556-8022. Winners will be chosen by August 15.
