Welcome to the Town of Annapolis Royal

Annapolis Royal celebrates another achievement!

Annapolis Royal was chosen Saturday as the winner of the International Challenge – Small Category at the Communities in Bloom Awards in Lethbridge, AB, “outblooming” five other communities from Canada, Ireland, England and the United States.

Communities in Bloom is a national program for the improvement of the quality of life through beautification, community involvement, environmental awareness and heritage conservation. In 2008, hundreds of Canadian communities participated in Provincial Editions, the National Edition and the International Challenge with municipalities from the United States, England, Scotland and Ireland. Qualified CiB volunteer judges visited the communities and evaluated each one on its overall performance in the following areas: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscaped areas, floral displays, and turf & groundcovers. The evaluation is based on the local conditions and achievements of citizens, businesses, organizations, institutions and the municipal government working together.

Annapolis Royal received praise from the judges in all eight evaluation categories. The Historic Gardens, along with the beautifully maintained grounds of many homes and businesses, anchored the success in several of the evaluation categories. Likewise, the strong record of heritage preservation in the community was noted by the judges, in terms of both the built heritage and the experiential components such as the Candlelight Graveyard Tour. The Town’s commitment to environmental awareness and sustainability was noted as being very strong, as was the vibrant arts and culture presence. And the strong community involvement in just about every aspect of life in Annapolis Royal was very evident to the judges as they toured the Town and met the many people who make it all possible.

The Town’s involvement was led by the Communities in Bloom Committee, a group of dedicated volunteers from the Historic Gardens, Town Council & Staff, the Annapolis District Board of Trade and the community at large. The Committee was involved in several new projects in the quest for the international title, including:

The Sunflower Project: Students at Champlain Elementary School grew sunflower seedlings that were subsequently planted in the Historic Gardens and throughout the Town.
“Bloomin’ Great Job!” Awards: This new weekly award was organized by the Committee, the Historic Gardens, and The Garden Shutterbug. Different properties in Town were recognized each Friday based on some or all of the Communities in Bloom criteria.
Extreme Makeover Team: This team gathered Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with rakes and garbage bags in tow, and descended on public areas that needed a little extra TLC.

This is another great achievement for this tiny community, which has many provincial, national and international awards to its credit. Annapolis Royal first participated in Communities in Bloom at the Provincial level in 2004, and went on to win the National Competition in 2006. International recognition came in 2004 with the designation as “Most Liveable Small Town in the World”, based on similar criteria to the Communities in Bloom awards. The Town was designated a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2005, was presented with the Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership in 2006 and most recently, in August 2008, received a Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit award. Add to that numerous awards in recreation, heritage conservation, environmental practices and sustainable development, and one can see that Annapolis Royal is a community full of energy and enthusiasm, with a host of extremely involved and dedicated volunteers... Annapolis Royal is indeed a Community in Bloom!

To the Residents of Annapolis Royal:

The Communities in Bloom judges were in town from July 27th to the 29th. Both judges were very interested in all we had done to meet the criteria in all seven categories of the CIB program and were impressed by the beauty of our town. They were treated to a variety of tours, including one of the town in general, private gardens, the Historic Gardens and Allen Melanson's Graveyard Tour. The final event was a reception held at Hillsdale House. This reception was very well attended and gave the judges the opportunity to speak with individuals of all walks of live, giving them further insight into our culture and historic roots.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to both the CIB committee and all the residents who helped to make a difference in our town. Our town has never looked better. And now, we will anxiously awaiting the decision of the judges on September 20 to announce the winner of the 2008 CIB international competition.

Beth Fairn
Communities in Bloom Chair

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This year the Communities in Bloom committee will be entering in the International category where we will be competing with Aughrim Ireland, Grouville England, Olds Alberta, St Clairsville Ohio, and Trail BC.

Ivan Stinson and Dwight Lund are the judges. They will be arriving on July 27th and leaving on July 29th, with the official Judges’ Tour on July 28th. In the morning they will meet the Committee members, Council, and Town Staff. Then they will receive the “grand tour” of our community, with many stops throughout the day. There is a Public Reception at the Hillsdale House Inn at 7pm, and we encourage everyone to come out and meet the judges, and tell them what makes Annapolis Royal special to you!

The Communities in Bloom Committee has been working on some new projects for the international competition. This year, we had six new projects:

Community documentation of all community events: those responsible for the many community events in Town were given an event sheet to complete to capture information on the event, those involved, etc. so that the judges would get a better sense of the extent of community effort and pride.
We worked with the students at Champlain Elementary School to plant Sunflowers seeds which were subsequently planted throughout the Town. The Grade Four class planted their sunflowers at the Historic Gardens, and the remaining seedlings were planted at the Community Playground, Church Street, Pete’s Gardens, Town Hall, and the Entry Point Signs of Town.
We purchased 3 new planters for cigarette butts along St George Street to encourage smokers to “Plant your butts” instead of leaving them along the streets and sidewalks. The planters seemed to be helping so the committee purchased 3 more planters at the request of other organizations and businesses.
“Bloomin’ Great Job!” Awards. This new weekly award was organized by the Committee, the Historic Gardens, and the Gardens Shutter Bug. Different properties in Town will be recognized each Friday based on some or all of the Communities in Bloom criteria. Homeowners could be recognized because they have made an outstanding effort in a single category; or a business because they do very well in a broad range of areas; or an organization, for an outstanding community involvement effort. Signs will be placed on the properties for the week, and the homeowners/businesses will be given a free picture of their property from the judge’s eye on judging day.
Extreme Makeover Team: this team started work on the evening of July 8, 2008. With rakes and garbage bags in tow, this team descends on the street fronts of properties presenting a less than tidy appearance and gets it into in shape within a one hour time frame. The team strikes twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Cigarette butt patrol: individuals have been picking up cigarette butts. The main areas of activity include St George Street from Grange Street to St James Street, and the King’s Theatre plaza.

We all know what a beautiful community we have – this is our chance to show the rest of the world!

Week One:
Homeowner Business Organization	Blaine & Heide Schumacher Bailey House B & B Friends of the Pool Society
Week Two:
Homeowner Business Organization	Jim & Pauline How Westside Studio St Luke's Church
Week Three:
Homeowner Business Organization	David & Kathy Witherly Dragonfly Inn Train Station/ CARP
Week Four:
Homeowner Business Organization	Harold & Faye Fancy Catfish Moon "Annapolis Society for Youth-friendly Public Spaces" for their work towards a future Annapolis Youth Park, which will serve as a skateboard park among other things.
Week Five:
Homeowner Business Organization	Barb & Rollo MacDonald Far Fetched Gallery St George & St Andrew United Church
Week Six:
Homeowner Business Organization	Dr Alan & Patricia Dill Annapolis Royal Wellness Centre & Spa Annapolis Heritage Society
Week Seven:
Homeowner Business Organization	Rich Cianflone & Greg Scharfen Hillsdale House Inn Annapolis Region Community Arts Council
Week Eight:
Homeowner Business Organization	Peter Hollinger’s Community garden The Crooked Floor United Baptist Church
Week Nine:
Homeowner Business Organization	Brian & Judy Dickinson Uptown Beauty The Historical Association of Annapolis Royal
Week Ten:
Homeowner Business Organization	Paul Paquette & Wayne Smith Queen Anne Inn King’s Theatre
Week Eleven:
Homeowner Business Organization	Robert & Rosemary Perry Sarah Pavia – St Anthony St Gallery Annapolis Community Health Centre
Week Eleven:
Homeowner Business Organization	Jim & Jean McGinis Bread & Roses Inn Legion Community Centre