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Beautification Society looks to a better year for Cache Creek

The community is participating in the provincial CiB competition after having to cancel in 2017.
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After having to miss last year because of the wildfires, Cache Creek Communities in Bloom is looking forward to taking part in the provincial competition again this year. Photo: Wendy Coomber.

After having to pull out of last year’s provincial Communities in Bloom (CiB) competition because of the wildfires, the Cache Creek Beautification Society (CCBS) is looking forward to seeing the Village not only compete once more in 2018, but co-host (with Clinton) the provincial CiB conference and awards ceremony in September. The Cache Creek CiB committee is part of the CCBS.

“Because of the timing it was impossible for us to take part [in the competition] last year,” says CCBS president and CiB committee chair Carmen Ranta, noting the evacuation order for Cache Creek that was in effect until just a day before the judges were due to arrive. This year, however, it is full steam ahead, and Ranta says the society is really excited about taking part in the competition for the sixth time since the Village entered Communities in Bloom in 2008.

The Village received Five Blooms with a special mention for Floral Displays—its best year ever in the provincial competition—in 2016. However, the Village was evacuated from July 7 to 18 last year, with the welcome dinner for the judges scheduled for July 19. Cache Creek withdrew from the competition on July 10, so the judges could make other arrangements.

Ranta described the situation as a “no-brainer. There were a lot of other things to worry about. The committee members had their own challenges at that time. As a committee member said to me, ‘Even if we went back home tomorrow, I don’t think anyone is in the mood.’”

The society is planning a volunteer appreciation event to coincide with the judges’ visit in July. “We’re making it part of the CiB program this year, and are really excited about that,” says Ranta.

The CCBS is also looking forward to helping Clinton with the hosting of the CiB provincial convention from September 14 to 16. “The Cache Creek portion will include a luncheon for attendees and a tour of Cache Creek with the theme of ‘Fire and Recovery’. The idea is to show the conference delegates from all around the province the impact of the fire, the impact on the community and its people, and our resilience and community strength.

“The provincial conference travels around the province, so it’s nice to partner with Clinton and help them, and do some planning and hosting for that. [Clinton resident] Yvette May is the president of the provincial CiB, and she’s worked so hard for the province. She and the Clinton CiB people have been our right hand people.”

Just as Communities in Bloom is about more than just flowers, the Cache Creek Beautification Society is about more than the outward appearance of the Village. This year the group will be helping Gold Country Communities Society decorate the Community Hall for the dinner that GCCS is holding in May during its annual symposium. Members of the society also decorate the hall for Christmas, sponsor the Cache Creek Market and Seedy Saturday, host the Winter Lights celebration in December, and look for other projects within the Village.

One such project is a community garden, which the CCBS has been discussing. Unfortunately, says Ranta, the garden is not going ahead at this time. “We don’t have enough core people to move ahead with that,” she says. “If people want to establish a working group, it will need interested people to gather together. We would support that, and look at it as a sub-committee of the society. Community gardens are usually community-initiated, and we need someone to spearhead it.

“It’s difficult to know if other people in town are interested in creating more programs, and if people are interested in making Cache Creek a better place to live. In many ways, our society is a way to do that. It’s for people of all ages; there’s not a lot of heavy lifting involved, and the meetings are short.

“Sometimes people new to the community want to get involved, and this is an easy way to participate in what’s going on in town. And it gives us a chance to focus on non-emergency things.”

For more information about the Cache Creek Beautification Society, or to get involved, call Ranta at (250) 457-1250.



editorial@accjournal.ca

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