Stonewall residents are hoping they sowed the seeds of success for last week’s visit from Communities in Bloom judges.
Judges Larry Hall of Saskatchewan and Mohammad Asadian of B.C. arrived in Stonewall on Tuesday, July 23. They spent the following day on a guided tour of the community before their departure on July 25.
This year, Stonewall is participating in the national Class of Champions category, which is geared for Canadian communities that have previously won in the national Population category. Other communities in this category for 2024 include Bay Roberts, N.L.; Melfort, Sask.; and Bruderheim, Alta.
The judges’ jam-packed tour started off with stops at town hall, McLeod House, Taylor Court and Something Beautiful. Then they checked out the StoryWalk project, Lions Manor’s inner courtyard, Archie Gray Park and Quarry Ridge.
Other destinations included Ruby Roe Tall Grass Prairie, Thompson Off-Leash Dog Park, Veterans Memorial Sports Complex, the local daycares and Helen Montgomery Park.
After that, they visited the Memory Garden and the new Seniors and Indigenous Healing Garden, as well as the local library.
To quench their appetites, they enjoyed lunch at The Kiln before continuing on to see the cemetery and the Stonewall Community Garden.
Of course, no visit would be complete without a visit at Quarry Park, including the campground, kilns restoration site, Kinsmen Lake, splash pad and Fines Field.
The judges also had the chance to see Stoneridge Meadows and Dave Lethbridge Park, and they learned about Ecole Stonewall Centennial School’s playground project.
Throughout the tour, they also dropped by some stunning residential properties and chatted with local green thumbs.
To wrap up the busy day, the town hosted a dinner for the judges and volunteers at the Heritage Arts Centre.
Although the judges’ evaluations won’t be revealed until the fall, they shared some insights and impressions of Stonewall.
“We definitely can see the community pride. We can see all the work that goes into the community,” Asadian said.
“We judge on several aspects. The first one is community appearance, and then there’s the categories of urban forestry, environmental action, heritage and conservation, landscape and floral displays. That’s anywhere from municipal, business and residential.”
Likewise, Hall shared some favourable initial observations of Stonewall, including commendations for the eye-catching planters around town. At the same time, he stressed the high expectations of the judges.
“In terms of first impressions, the community is very nice. But I must announce that Stonewall is in the category called the Class of Champions, so every community that we’re visiting has already won a national award,” Hall said. “We expect these communities to be the best of the best. It’s steep competition — and it should be because it is the Class of Champions. The next step is to compete internationally.”
The results will be announced in Charlottetown, P.E.I., from Oct. 17 to 20.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization driven by volunteers and partnerships.
Tribune Photos by Jennifer McFee and Asta Johannesson
Learn more at communitiesinbloom.ca.
