By Andy May
B.C. Provincial Communities in Bloom judges Floortje Molenaar and Dustin de Jongh visited Clinton on July 19 and 20, and tour guides Yvette and Andy May took them for a stroll around downtown Clinton before joining many Clintonites at the Memorial Hall for a Spirit of Clinton open house that also featured local volunteer organizations.
The busy schedule on Wednesday, July 19 included a meeting with Mayor Susan Swan, Councillors Christine Rivett and Sandi Burrage, and staff at the village office. It was followed by a trip up Lee’s Sawmill Road with Steve Law, manager of the Clinton and District Community Forest, to check out the fuel break on Hart Ridge; thanks, Steve!
The next stop was at Clinton’s brand-new public works building, with foreman Karl Hansen. He led us up the creek to Clinton’s water treatment plant, where he walked the judges through the treatment process.
Then came lunch at the Higginbottom Corral Rec Site, with CADOSA (Clinton and District Outdoor Sportsmen Association) chair Rolly Higginbottom, Christine Rivett, and Janice Maurice, chair of the South Cariboo Historical Museum Society. Rolly described the local and regional trails, and the many projects CADOSA has on the go.
To settle lunch, we braved the washboard on Big Bar Road to check out the newly enclosed Snow Jockey trailhead warming shed and discuss the local flora). Thanks, Rolly, for taking time out of haying, and to Janice for lunch.
Back in town we visited Clinton Creek Estates. Manager Shellie Park and Clinton and District Assisted Living Society chair Judy Hampton walked the judges through the facility, including an empty suite.
Shellie showed us the electrical room, where power from the rooftop solar panels is fed to the building. We strolled around the outside of the building, and the judges made several very complimentary comments about the professional landscaping. Thank you, Judy and Shellie.
We finished the tour with visits to the Community Garden, Clinton’s Pioneer Cemetery, and the museum. The judges finished their day at the Chinese Restaurant, for a great dinner with members of Clinton Communities in Bloom, Karl Hansen, and the tour guides. Thanks, Judy!
The results will be announced at the provincial awards ceremony at the 2022 Communities in Bloom Symposium and Awards — celebrating 2022: The Year of the Garden — in Victoria from Oct. 20 to 23.
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