Boissevain has been involved in the Communities in Bloom competition for around 25 years, most of it under the leadership of the late Mayor Ed Anderson. The beautification competition has been very good for the community, giving it a focus for its efforts to make the town a nicer place to live and to attract visitors. Boissevain has won the competition at both national and international levels and has received many compliments from judges and the national committee, who have viewed it as a sort of a “flagship” community.
“This was a decision that was not easily made. This community has been in Communities in Bloom since almost the beginning of the program. It was a difficult decision to make, but I think people felt it was the time was right. We are the Grand Champions and to sign up for something else, well, I think they felt they were where they want to be.”
“We got a lot of recognition internationally and certainly Canada-wide,” Swanson continued, “and it gave us the drive to make the town as beautiful as it is. However, there is no reason why we cannot continue to keep the town as beautiful as it is without having judges come down and judge us.”
Swanson said they would still be doing beautification this year. There will still be a planting day, there will still be Adopt-a-Spots, although there might be fewer of them in 2020 as they will be re-evaluating them all. There are plenty of opportunities for people to be involved.
“We still need tons of volunteers. This way, they can come and help and know they will not be judged, they will just be making the community a better place.”
Swanson is confident the community will step up and continue to beautify without a competition. They can still have a special day for the volunteers to come out and enjoy the work they have done. They can walk and look at the beds, have a nice lunch and see what they can do differently – an opportunity to slow down, enjoy what they have done and make decisions based on their own wants and needs.
This is only a one-year decision. Swanson said they will reevaluate it in the fall, and perhaps they will find they want to enter a category again. There was also mention of playing a mentoring role with other communities sometime down the line. Everything is open for the future. It is just in 2020, they are taking a step back.
“Maybe if we make it a fun day, people can come out and get involved,” Swanson said. “We won the Grand Champions and what do you do then? Isn’t it best to step out when you’re at the top? It’s a natural thing, and we will look at it again.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff