by Adam Gault
The Communities in Bloom (CIB) committee and representatives from the Town of Essex hosted the annual CIB Awards Night on Thursday, October 10 inside the Shaheen Community Room at the Essex Centre Sports Complex. The event offered members of the CIB Committee an opportunity to celebrate local residents for going above and beyond in their efforts to enhance civic beautification and pride.
This past summer, the Committee hosted a balcony and front yard contest, where judges assessed participating properties in a variety of categories. The top Five Bloom winners of the competition were invited to attend the banquet last Thursday evening to receive their award and get recognized for their efforts.
Property owners were judged on curb appeal, tidiness and maintenance, floral displays, landscape, and creativity. Judges assessed the Communities in Bloom competition participants via the “Bloom” system, with five total “Blooms” being regarded as an exceptional display.
The Five Bloom residential property winners for 2019 are Jack and Sheila Brush, Henryk and Barbara Cichowicz, Derek and Kirby Didone, David and Sandra Driscoll, Vince and Debbie Hamelin, Barbara Jenner, Lana Kinney, Ben and Sue Klundert, Margaret Kneale, Chris LaBelle and Tracy Hatfield, David and Lynn Laberge, Bill and Rosie MacGregor, Pam McDermott, Noel and Margaret Meloche, Orysia Rivest, Sue and Dennis Gervais, Randy and Rose Ruggaber, Gary Sartori and Kim Nantais, Ben and Winny Schinkel, Linda Sawyer and Gary Dubroy, Jody St. Louis-Smith, Chip and Heather Suzor, Brian and Jenn Tellier, John Tomlinson, John and Nan Wallace, Wayne and Evelyn Wharram and Marie Wood.
Businesses and organizations recognized with Five Bloom Awards, were G.L Fraser and Associates and Ice Cool Treats.
The Forever in Bloom awards were also presented. These awards are given to properties that have achieved Five Bloom status five years in a row, and bestows the winners with judging rights regarding future CIB recognitions.
Forever in Bloom winners for 2019 are John and Barbara Balga, Elaine Ganderton, Bill and Gayle Hedges, Winnie Renaud, Phil and Rita Smith, Robert and Maureen Turner, and Ruth and Wendy Gatehouse.
Awards were also presented in recognition of special efforts by community organizations and public members.
Receiving the Tidiness Award was the Town of Essex’s Development Services Department; the Heritage Conservation Award went to the Harrow Early Immigrant Research Society (HEIRS); and the Urban Forestry Award was awarded to Essex Home Hardware.
“It’s a great event, and there’s a lot of work that’s put into it,” Mayor Larry Snively said at the banquet. “I’ll tell you, there’s some beautiful pieces of property out there. You should all be proud, everybody that participated in this, it’s beautiful.”
For almost a quarter of a century, Communities in Bloom has been active across Canada, fostering friendly competition between communities in the hopes of improving their civic spaces.
Since 2006, The Town of Essex has participated in the CIB program, and took home the national first place award for a town with a population between 9,001 and 20,000 during the 2015 competition.