Slippery Rock Mayor Ken Harris, center, explains the history of Rock Falls Park in Slippery Rock Township to America in Bloom judges Dwight Lund, left, and Alex Pearl at the park in June.

SLIPPERY ROCK — Awards may be in store this week for Slippery Rock In Bloom.

Awards will be handed out at the America In Bloom National Symposium and Awards, which will be held Thursday through Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

Cindi Dillon, a Slippery Rock In Bloom committee member, will be headed to Florida to attend.

“I am very excited,” Dillon said.

During her time there, Dillon will take tours, listen to guest speakers and attend workshops. She will set up a display table which has information about Slippery Rock.

Last year, Slippery Rock did not win any awards, but was nominated for a few.

After last year, Dillon said the committee was looking to see how to improve.

“We took what we could from the report,” Dillon said.

She said she would like to do the same thing this year.

“We want to get some feedback,” Dillon said.

Slippery Rock In Bloom started in 2010 as the Slippery Rock Rotary Club's president's project.

Rotary members, committee members and volunteers spent much of late 2011 and early 2012 preparing for the judges arrival last year. They planted thousands of flowers, raised money and organized cleanup days. Similar efforts took place in late 2012 and early 2013.

This year, Slippery Rock competed against Echo, Ore.; Gallipolis, Ohio; and Castle Rock, Wash., in the under 4,000 population category.

National judges visited for two days in June.

Dillon said the project will continue again next year.

She said, however, that awards are secondary. Community improvement is the ultimate goal.

“If we're awarded for that, then so be it,” Dillon said. “The award part is just the icing.”