Despite the challenges of 2021, Clinton Communities in Bloom reports that it was a great year for the community garden, which thrived during the hot summer weather.
“The garden did very, very well,” says Clinton CiB president Yvette May, who is also a director on the B.C. Provincial Communities in Bloom board. “We had a young person who grew some pumpkins, and we gave out our first Green Thumb award to Brittany Spoonemore, who grew hundreds of cucumbers in the greenhouse.”
Two of the beds at the community garden are dedicated to growing produce for the Clinton Food Bank, and are tended by Andy May; other users also make sure that the beds stay weeded. May says that last summer the two beds produced more than 50 pounds of potatoes, 40 to 50 pounds of carrots, celery, and about 28 pounds of yellow beans from six pickings between late-July and mid-September. She adds that other gardeners donate leftover produce to the food bank as well.
Even though we’re still a long way from gardening weather, May says that some people have already reserved their beds for this year’s season. It costs $10 to rent an 8-foot by 4-foot bed for the year, and anyone interested can apply now by emailing clinton2005@gmail.com.
While some communities did participate in a modified evaluation through the provincial Communities in Bloom program, Clinton opted to take part in the “Friends” and “Showcase” categories, which did not involve judges coming to the community.
“You don’t get evaluated, but you keep your ‘blooms’,” May explains. “Last year the evaluations were pretty sparse. Only one judge visited [participating communities] instead of two, because of COVID. Also, the heat was just over at that time, and then we had the fires.”
May says that Clinton CiB sent pictures of various projects that had taken place in Clinton, such as the placing of a new carved wooden bench near the community garden. The bench was created by Cariboo chainsaw artist Ken Sheen, and is close to one of two new picnic tables in the village. It has also been placed at the bus stop where the community bus picks up and drops off passengers using the service, which connects Clinton with Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Kamloops, and 100 Mile.
At the Clinton council meeting on Nov. 24, May was on hand to present the village with a Communities in Bloom flag featuring the new CiB logo. The flag was provided by the provincial CiB, as recognition for taking part in last year’s “Friends” program.
In December, Clinton CiB once again sponsored the annual “Christmas Light-up” contest, encouraging local residents and businesses to decorate and light up their buildings for the holidays. These were then judged by nine-year-old Jaxon Kuchera, who provided a youth perspective, and Andy May (who drove Jaxon around).
When they had finished their tour of the community, the winners were announced as Moe Mullis and Al Devitt of 409 LeBourdais (residential) and Munro’s Feed and Supply at the foot of Dewdney (commercial). The winners received a certificate (suitable for framing) and a $50 cash prize. Kuchera also decided than an honourable mention for Best-Lit Neighbourhood should go to Fir Avenue in the Hugo subdivision.
Any gardeners who want to start planning their displays for this year should know that this year’s “theme” from Communities in Bloom is “Garden in Red”. Clinton CiB plants and looks after the plants in all the desert planters in town, as well as in beds at places such as the village office and the wheel in Reg Conn Park, and May says the group is already thinking ahead.
“Red anything is the national theme, so we’re trying to figure out what to plant.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
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