Slippery Rock ready to bloom for judges
SLIPPERY ROCK — National judges from American In Bloom are coming next week to judge Slippery Rock In Bloom for the third year in a row.
Katy Moss Warner of Florida and Barbara Vincentsen of New Jersey will arrive Sunday and leave Wednesday.
Cindi Dillon, a member of the Slippery Rock In Bloom committee, said organizers are confident.
“We've worked hard. We've made some real strides. We're all feeling very positive about it,” Dillon said.
America In Bloom is a competition where residents from around the country try to improve their communities. More than 220 towns and cities from 41 states have participated in the program since it started in 2001.
Slippery Rock is competing against Lewisburg, W.Va., Gallipolis, Ohio, and the University of Findlay, Ohio, in the 3,500 to 4,500 population category. It is one of 33 towns in the U.S. competing this year.
While in the area, judges will tour Slippery Rock University, downtown Slippery Rock, Slippery Rock Park, Rock Falls Park, the Jennings Environmental Education Center, Armco Park, the Old Stone House and several gardens at private homes.
The committee also will give a brief tour of the Butler County portion of the North Country Trail, which passes through seven states and is 4,600 miles total.
“That's part of our community, too,” Dillon said.
The judges will give the committee a presentation on Monday, which Dillon said is the first time the judges have done that for Slippery Rock In Bloom.
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.The committee increased the amount of flower pots and bedding areas around town this year.On Oct. 26, 40 volunteers planted 5,000 flower bulbs at several locations in the borough, and 2,000 more were planted on Nov. 10.“It's a lot of work, but worth it,” Dillon said.In April, dozens of people participated in a “Polish the Rock” day, where the borough was cleaned up.The America In Bloom National Symposium and Awards will be Oct. 4 in Philadelphia.Last year, judges visited for two days in June, and Slippery Rock won an award for most creative design using flower bulbs. It also was one of the winners of the “Capturing the Spirit of America” photography contest sponsored by America In Bloom and GIE Media.She said the committee is already working on plans for next year.“We want to move forward, and each year we add to it,” Dillon said.For more information, visit www.srinbloom.com, the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Slippery-Rock-in-Bloom or send an e-mail to srinbloom16057@gmail.com.
