REDVERS — The town of Redvers is new to the Communities in Bloom world as this year was their first, participating in the ‘Friends’ category. The newcomers ended up placing second in their population category (1,001 to 2,000), earning three blooms for their efforts.
“We were surprised,” Redvers CAO and local Communities in Bloom committee member Tricia Pickard said when the local group learned of the honour. “You think that you’re doing a good job and you’ve made a lot of progress, but to be recognized like this, it’s heartwarming and it’s a surprise. Just to get that recognition or to get that approval that we are on the right track and we’re doing good is so nice, and we get that from our community members, actually, too.”
There were nine other communities in the same category as Redvers, which was also the only community representing the southeast region.
“This is the first year that we’ve been involved, and we wanted to get involved basically to just to see where we’re at, and how we would get rated through other people’s eyes—especially judges that have been to other communities,” explained Pickard. “We have lots of ideas, and we like to think outside the box, but we wanted to see if we were on the right track.”
Based on the judge’s reaction, they really like Redvers.
“It was a pleasure when they came out,” Pickard recalled of the August visit. “We rode around on our transit bus, and we highlighted some of the areas. They were super nice, super easy to talk to, and it was great to have somebody from the outside come in. We could showcase our community, and they could tell us, ‘yes, this is great,’ or ‘this is another idea,’ to accentuate this, or to go off in another direction.
“One great thing that they said was to have recycling bins around Redvers,” Pickard said. “We have garbage cans, but didn't even think about recycling bins.”
Redvers also earned the Heritage Recognition Award this year for their Memory Pot project, something that’s been a part of town since 2015. The project allows residents to commemorate loved ones who have passed away through the sponsorship of a planter. Initially, the Memory Pots began with 20 wooden pots during the first year, then expanding over time.
“Every year, for actually quite a few years, we’ve been trying to add or upgrade what we’ve had,” Pickard said. “With the Memory Pots, we started out with some small wooden ones, and then we got different wooden ones, and now we’re at big plastic pots. We also added boulevard planters, and we’re talking about different flower arrangements at Tourism to help to have a visual when you come into town.”
Currently, Redvers has 70 planters, proving the idea truly caught on with residents.
Next year’s plans
With one year and three blooms under their belts, Redvers could choose to compete at the provincial level, or stay at the Friends category for another year.
“We aren’t 100 per cent sure which direction we might go,” Pickard said. “It is nice to linger at the Friends level, because our goal isn’t necessarily to compete. Our goal is to revitalize what we have, and to bring forth new ideas and just work together. So if we do decide to compete, that would just be icing on top of the cake.”
The approach Redvers has to the Communities in Bloom project is to be part of the town’s overall commitment to beautification, complementing other initiatives such as the sign corridor, new street signs, adding flags to Main Street, and Remembrance Day banners.
“It seems like a lot of things are each their own individual project, but they’re actually all falling under our beautification plan,” Pickard said. “It’s not just one thing, it’s a lot of small but significant aspects that really can make a huge impact.”
All that work spent sprucing up the community not only fosters local pride, but promotes togetherness in Redvers.
“It brings your community together,” explained Pickard. “When you engage your residents and people that are interested in those things, then it just makes you feel good about what you’re doing, and everybody’s working together.”
There were a few recommendations that the judges made, such as adding more trees around town.
“They did note—and we knew that most of our trees are located on private property—that there’s only a few town-owned trees,” Pickard said. “We have been considering developing a forestry program, or a tree canopy, a street tree approach.”
Another suggestion was to revitalize the Jean Ericksen flowerbed paying tribute to her dedication and significant contribution to breeding lily varieties. Credited with creating varieties including Butter and Sugar, Cascading Glory, Lady Limeheart, and Strawberry Forest, Ericksen was a major contributor to plant life in the province.
“She was the Lily Lady of Saskatchewan,” Pickard said.
If anyone is interested in joining in the fun, Pickard said the Redvers Communities in Bloom committee is always welcoming new faces.
“We would love to have more volunteers! You know the approach, many hands make light work, It’s fun and it’s not a lot of work,” she concluded.
