Planting Pride with America in Bloom

Stories from the Road - Brewton, Alabama

Thursday, May 11, 2017 by America in Bloom

Stories from the Road - Brewton, Alabama

By Stephen Pategas, AIB Judge


	Stephen Pategas

This being my fourth year of judging, I have come to realize that there isn't a typical judging experience. This is probably heightened by the fact I am self employed as a landscape architect and leading the Winter Park Blooms efforts in Winter Park, Florida (nestled up to Orlando but a world away).

With Winter Park's fifth entry this year everything should have been push button. What I did not count on was a judging assignment with a 7 AM flight the day after the AIB judges finished in Winter Park. I had to make arrangements with Brewton, Alabama, to coordinate with my fellow judge, juggle my work load to block out six days instead of two, pack my bag while I was busy hosting the judges, and twist my mind set from being judged - to judging a community. Numerous checklists were crucial for pulling off those feats.

Hosting AIB judges is a fairly demanding two days, and the day after is counted on for decompression, deep satisfying breaths, and a round of back patting amongst committee members. Instead, at 5:30 a.m. I was being driven to that early morning flight to Pensacola, FL (nearest airport to Brewton). Thank you to my wife Kristin (also an AIB judge) for that sacrifice. The good news was there was time to sightsee that day in gorgeous weather in Pensacola with fellow judge Laurie Potier-Brown from Tampa. There was the question of what to do with luggage when someone wants to spend a day walking around as a tourist. The answer is: the chamber of commerce! Willa cheerfully watched our bags until Connie Baggett from Brewton picked us up in the late afternoon. We even picked up advice and a free map from Willa. We mailed her a thank you note from Brewton.

The one-hour drive to Brewton was picturesque and informative as we learned more about Brewton. Over the next two days we learned about the history of Brewton with its early founding based on the timber industry and the use of Burnt Corn and Murder Creeks to transport timber. Yes, there are stories behind those names and that is just one of the fun parts about being introduced to new places with their sincere, friendly people. Of course we saw much more, including stately mansions built by the timber barons of the past, a revitalizing downtown in spite of freight trains barreling through, new parks and trails under development, and a pitcher plant bog that was nothing less than magical. Fortunately it wasn't too moist and as I had feared, I didn't get my only pair of shoes wet.


Pitcher plant bog

One thousand miles later, I was home. But no time for relaxing as I had to work on a recap of Winter Park's judging experience, return more than a few emails, start on an Evaluation Report for Brewton, and prepare for visiting four other communities I will judge in July. I wonder how early my flight to Lewisburg, West Virginia will leave?

Please consider making a donation to help finance AIB judges' travel. We are asking you to donate to our travel fund to help to connect our talented volunteer judges with dynamic In Bloom community leaders across the county. This year my fellow judges and I will travel more than 63,700 miles to plant pride and to make America bloom. We need your support to help us complete our journey. Donate today.

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Art is Blooming in Ottawa

Friday, May 05, 2017 by America in Bloom

Art is Blooming in Ottawa

By AIB Judge Linda Cromer

Wow! is the only word to describe the public/community art program in Ottawa, Illinois. And maybe the “wowiest” examples are the brainchild of mosaic artist Susan Burton who has engaged hundreds of folks in the creation of colorful, whimsical visual delights that beautifully meld horticulture, art, and the history of glass-making in Ottawa. And so it is that a spin-off of the Ottawa is Blooming campaign was the establishment of the Ottawa Community Public Arts Committee, an organization that fosters leadership development and civic engagement in the arts.

The committee’s inaugural project was the Rainbow Flower, a mosaic-covered sculpture glittering with brightly colored glass mosaic pieces put in place by more than 400 people spanning every age group and skill level - grade schoolers and grandparents, professional artists and eager first-timers. This remarkable achievement is on permanent display in Ottawa’s premier Allen Park adjacent to the Illinois River. Sited atop a bluff overlooking the waterway and spotlighted by sunshine and moonbeam alike, the Rainbow Flower is a beacon to boaters on the river as well as folks enjoying a leisurely stop in the park.

Ottawa is an inspiring place to be – a community with the energy and excitement of folks who revere their origins and embrace the future. And this remarkable community is punctuated with examples of mosaic art that serve as exclamation points in their every setting.

Dated downtown trash receptacles of mundane exposed aggregate concrete are transformed by mosaic designs. Talk about interactive art – tossing a Snickers wrapper into public eye candy is so much sweeter than littering. Add the fact that many of the mosaic designs were created at the Ottawa is Blooming kickoff at Ottawa City Hall this spring and you multiply civic engagement by artistic development and come up with environmental activism. Quite a calculation.

Mosaic-enhanced garden tools serve as horticultural brushes and anchor the massive Painters Palette floral display downtown. Totem Pole sculptures of interchangeable “stacked art” pieces (including planters) incorporate mosaics as an integral element and are a concept that could be adapted to any community. A number of mosaic pieces including a festive Goliath-sized wine bottle and jaunty red cow are used to attract attention at public events and reinforce Ottawa’s arts brand.

The massive success of the mosaic art program has spurred other community art initiatives including “Dig Art” – planting beds created with paved outlines, filled in with flowers and sited in prominent outdoor spaces.

Accessible public art has long been an important part of the experience that is Ottawa, Illinois, from an outstanding mural program and large-scale abstract metal works to bronze statues memorializing events important to Ottawa’s storied history.

The Ottawa Community Public Arts Committee mindfully put the “Community” in its name and specifically makes both a connection and a distinction between public art and community art, defining community art as, “Art built for and by the community.”

This inclusive arts initiative is a vibrant form of place making and community branding. Ottawa, you make us proud by reminding us that we are all important pieces in the mosaic that is America in Bloom.

Lewisburg, West Virginia: Building On Beauty

Thursday, April 13, 2017 by America in Bloom

Lewisburg, West Virginia: A Mayor's Perspective
By John Manchester, Lewisburg Mayor

Before our involvement with America in Bloom, Lewisburg already had in place a lot of the pieces emphasized by AIB. We had a well preserved downtown historic district, lots of floral displays, and several environmental initiatives. However, the entities responsible for these important pieces of downtown revitalization had no idea what the other groups were doing, and many times had no idea that the other groups even existed. AIB provided the cohesive framework to draw all the volunteer, civic and governmental organizations into the same room to better coordinate the beautification efforts and to designate a group project for the upcoming year that everyone could work on and take pride in accomplishing.

For example, our first pair of judges noticed that an old cemetery, prominently located in the midst of our historic district, was badly in need of repair and maintenance. This cemetery was primarily a burial ground for black slaves from our area. Everyone in town knew the cemetery looked awful, but no one had ever stepped up to say, “I will fix it.” When the local members of our AIB group (now known as Lewisburg in Bloom - LIB) assembled to go over the judges’ report, all agreed that the situation at the cemetery was a real problem and organized to upgrade the cemetery.

With the backing of Lewisburg in Bloom, local LIB organizer Shannon Beatty made presentations throughout the community about AIB and the importance of revitalizing Lewisburg and this neglected cemetery. Money was raised, the cemetery was cleaned, and plans were made to index the graves and regrade the site. Without AIB providing the fresh set of eyes to point out this problem in our midst, I expect that cemetery would have deteriorated even more rather than serve as an asset within the historic district.

New LIB initiatives in town have helped bring together people, added color, and focused greater attention on our downtown. For example, after LIB was formed, the committee promoted the idea of a unified color scheme which has helped achieve a unified look not only in the downtown area but all over town as well. LIB has even revived an abandoned tradition of the Tree Lighting downtown. The Tree Lighting ceremony has been a great success drawing just over 100 people during the first year. Each year the crowd grows. Caroling, cookies and hot chocolate are shared in the Center Green Space.

Our participation in AIB has given our community a renewed sense of pride in our downtown. A sense that our community was “pretty good” has been replaced by a sense of our community being “great.” Small improvements like more floral displays and splashes of color have led to more merchants and homeowners stepping up their efforts to beautify their properties.

Our community is still recovering from the 2016 flood event that took so many lives and destroyed so much property in surrounding towns and areas of our county. In the aftermath of such a disaster our communities have supported each other as never before. However, our local economy has struggled to regain its earlier strength. Our participation in AIB has allowed us to enhance the beauty of our downtown and showcase our amenities to visitors to help our recovery and to maintain our pride and appreciation in what we have.

Belpre in Bloom: A Transformative Story

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 by America in Bloom

Belpre in Bloom: A Transformative Story

By Lisa Collins

Belpre, Ohio, has always claimed the name “Beautiful Prairie;” however, it’s only lately we’ve reclaimed the spirit of our name. America in Bloom has given us the impetus to make beauty a priority, and our town has come together because of that effort.

Belpre is unique in that we don’t have a downtown. We have two primary business streets, but no “hub” with charming old buildings or a town square. We have a strip center anchored by a big box store, a handful of fast food restaurants, and a lot of small, nondescript buildings. That has made it difficult to create a sense of community, and identify a particular place to beautify – until America in Bloom was introduced.

Five years ago, we began with a small committee, planting flowers. We chose the color pink, asked our neighbors to plant pink, and started promoting the idea of Belpre in Bloom. That effort took off quickly, and turned into a much larger group of interested citizens. We chose a Miss Belpre in Bloom from our only elementary school, which brought the idea to kids immediately. We included every girl who participated in the pageant as part of the “court”, which involved parents and grandparents of ten little girls and their peers. We put them in parades on Belpre in Bloom floats and cars. The movement started to take off.

Scouts were invited to create projects around the beautification of our town, and school art teachers jumped on the idea, creating public art pieces covered in flowers. Kids painted tires for planters, and fire hydrants with posies, and Bloom banners were sponsored throughout town. Hanging baskets and giant flower pots were added in strategic places, most noticeably at our riverfront park, and people in neighboring towns began to take notice. A large-scale flower mural on a plain bathroom building in the park drew media attention. A greenhouse sprung up at the high school, where students planted flowers and even grew fresh salad to be used in their school cafeteria. And the beauty continued to spread.

We joined forces with the town’s tree commission, and started planting, pruning, and preserving trees. Entrances to the city have been identified and enhanced, and Welcome to Belpre in Bloom has become a common sight. Suddenly, we aren’t just the sleepy little bedroom community next to a larger city. We are living up to our name, the Beautiful Prairie.

Volunteers can be seen regularly, keeping public areas planted and weeded. Our award-winning America in Bloom status has been the vehicle we needed to transform an aging little town with no real identity, to one that is indeed, a beautiful prairie, and a community constantly abuzz with activity as it continues to bloom.

AIB Means Business in Brewton, Alabama

Wednesday, February 08, 2017 by America in Bloom

AIB Means Business in Brewton, Alabama

By Linda Cromer, AIB Judge

Brewton, Alabama is a model of the pride and progress that typifies America in Bloom communities. Participating in the AIB program since 2014, Brewton demonstrates that when it comes to making America in Bloom work for a community, “taking care of business” the AIB way provides opportunities for businesses to take care of you.

When Frontier Manufacturing and Engineering Technologies (headquartered in Long Beach, California) started looking in summer 2016 for a production center to serve a Pensacola, Florida GE plant, contestants started lining up. Frontier manufactures high-tech aerospace, energy and architectural components and was looking for a location within a 60-mile radius of Pensacola, prioritizing relative privacy to protect proprietary processes and the availability of a quality workforce. After considering candidate communities and working with the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Alliance, Frontier officials visited a spec building in Brewton’s industrial park but instead chose to invest in an adjacent and larger pre-owned 55,000 sq. ft. facility.

Frontier president Steven Hoekstra was quoted in area press saying the purchase represents a $1.5 million investment and the Brewton site was selected because the city’s “quality of life is great” and the local work ethic “outstanding”. That means 25 new jobs in Brewton with an expectation of 200 within five years. A winning workforce is the direct result of creating communities where talented folks want to live.

Brewton’s burgeoning economic development isn’t unique to the industrial park. Forty-seven properties dating to the 19th and 20th centuries were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, but many sat empty or under-utilized for too many years. Community leaders made a bold move and literally “turned around” a block of empty historic buildings that directly face a noisy, dirty rail track by creating an attractive, accessible boardwalk behind the buildings and essentially recreating new main pedestrian entrances.

Façade-improvement incentives and America in Bloom efforts have enhanced appealing and appropriate new storefronts with lush landscaping and floral displays and there is a steady stream of patrons for bustling businesses. Stroll down the boardwalk and visit a friendly provider to purchase some personal-injury insurance before stepping into a neighboring yoga studio. Unwind yourself from the lotus position and ease on next door for a latte to reward yourself for your exertions. Preparation….perspiration….payoff. Personal and commercial development have a lot in common.

Convenient sidewalks connect the boardwalk to other businesses in the historic district, residential neighborhoods, and recreational facilities. Since financial incentives and America in Bloom-fostered improvements have been encouraging development in the historic district, seven structures have been restored and reused and three more are in the pipeline. Brewton, Alabama, twice named one of the 100 Best Small Towns in America, just keeps on getting better.

Wonderfully preserved, restored and repurposed buildings; state-of-the-art educational facilities; an expansive and expanding park system; attractive horticultural features including floral displays, landscapes, and trees; and a myriad of festivals and community events add up to an enviable quality of life for the residents of Brewton, Alabama. America in Bloom participation has been a vital component in the process.

Ironton, Ohio: Planting Pride With America in Bloom

Friday, January 13, 2017 by America in Bloom

Ironton, Ohio: Planting Pride With America in Bloom

By Kristin Pategas, AIB Judge

America in Bloom’s collaborative national awards program has helped hundreds of communities realize their potential in becoming thriving places of work, play and living. Ironton, Ohio is just one of the many towns that have embraced America in Bloom principles and ideas to generate programs that provide the motivation and energy to plant pride in their community.

Ironton is a community that has experienced many economic setbacks throughout its history, from the 1970s with the closing of numerous industries due to the implementation of environmental standards, the exodus of jobs overseas, low employment, and finally the city’s fall into bankruptcy in 1982. Ironton, though, was true to its name and stood strong through these obstacles and used the promise of flowers to hearten its residents and create a symbol of rebirth. From its initial Downtown Clean-Up Days and spring plantings, Ironton discovered a path to raise spirits and rally support.

Kudos goes to sister America in Bloom community Gallipolis, OH for sharing with Ironton the guiding principles and resources of the America in Bloom program. Nine years ago Ironton in Bloom (IIB) planted the seed that has been nurtured by city government, businesses, and residents to become the catalyst for new business growth, improved property values, and a sense of pride. Ironton has seen its property values increase, derelict commercial properties redeveloped into thriving businesses, and the downtown beautified with hanging baskets, containers, decorative street furnishings, and weed-free sidewalks. This transformation not only benefits businesses and home owners, but encourages Ironton to present its best to visitors, investors, potential residents, and new businesses. Ironton has a number of future projects in the furnace: the Riverfront Park, a gateway for the new bridge over the Ohio River and the Iron Furnace Trail.

Ironton in Bloom knew in order for their dreams of a transformed community to come true, they needed to develop programs that guaranteed success, from design to funding, implementation and on-going maintenance. Too often such beautification projects in the past failed due to lack of funds and maintenance strategies. Today, nine years after its inception, IIB has an annual $50,000 budget for their floral displays supported by the city, local businesses, civic organizations and individuals. Members of IIB continue to work with the city to improve and expand Ironton's design standards to include floral and landscape requirements. They have also developed the OPT Program: Opportunity, Partnership and Teamwork, that recognizes sponsor donations and continued monetary support.

Much of the remaining open space within Ironton remains under environmental mitigation, but as these brownfields are cleaned, IIB, along with the city and other re-development agencies, have channeled revitalization efforts towards projects that benefit the community. Gateway Centre includes the city's first hotel, a family restaurant and space for a future brewery. Landscape enhancements include shade trees, floral displays, lighting, seating, bike racks and an interpretive display on the history of Ironton and the Ohio River.

To create additional public spaces, in 2010 an America in Bloom judge recommended the creation of "pocket parks", transforming vacant residential lots into green spaces. Today, a number of these green respites have become important neighborhood centers, community gardens and connection hubs for healthy walking and biking trails.

Ironton has embraced its heritage by designating three residential historic districts and restoring two historic sites for reuse: the Ro-Na Theater and the Veterans Memorial Hall. Historic home owners and churches annually open for tours and the Lawrence County History Museum provides docents in period costume and character.

Ironton in Bloom has developed an Annual Inventory Program where volunteers walk the city's streets each spring assessing cleanliness and maintenance needs including litter, weeds, sign maintenance, storm drain blockage and sidewalk repairs. These reports are passed on to the respective city departments to address as time and budget allow during the fiscal year.

Ironton is proof of the benefits of implementing America in Bloom’s framework for improvements.

AIB Communities have Holiday Appeal - Help Spread the Magic Year-Round

Friday, December 23, 2016 by America in Bloom

AIB Communities Have Holiday Appeal

Help AIB Spread the Magic Year-Round

America in Bloom communities are the most beautiful and inviting places to be this holiday season. We invite you to join us in supporting and encouraging even more communities to become extraordinary by making a year-end gift to America in Bloom.

Help us celebrate AIB communities that are: