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Trail in Bloom - Creativity highlights annual awards

Local winners in several categories were announced Tuesday night for the 11th annual Trail in Bloom garden contest, recognized for their hard work and beautiful gardens.

The sun is shining, the bees are buzzing and Trail has kicked into high bloom.

Local winners in several categories were announced Tuesday night for the 11th annual Trail in Bloom garden contest, recognized for their hard work and beautiful gardens.

Contest chair Cheryl Baerg said there was so much creativity and imagination this year, and all of the entries were exceptional.

“The calibre seems to be getting better every year. We do have some repeat people putting into it but we’re noticing more and more people coming on board who have never entered, or haven’t entered in many, many years.”

The city saw a total of 78 submissions this time, slightly up from last year.

There were a few submissions that really stood out to the judges, including a first-time entry in East Trail by Marco and Carrie Babuick.

“They (the judges) couldn’t believe the enthusiasm and creativity this young couple had,” said Baerg. “You just have to go down and see it yourself.”

“There was a patio up in Tadanac that had you asking, ‘where’s my glass of wine?’ It was that kind of place you felt you could just have a party every moment.”

Without knowing it, people personalize their gardens, she added.

“It’s like every yard I go into I get to see a glimpse of the person whose yard it is, I get to know a little about them just from their yard.”

The contest, sponsored by Teck, also awarded the first-ever Downtown Appreciation Award for recognition of community revitalization. The award went to the Arlington Bar & Grill.

Judges for the Communities in Bloom competition will be in town from Sunday to Tuesday, touring the city and all it has to offer.

The city is unable to compete at the national level this year because it won the title in 2010, but will be competing in the international ring instead.

The Garden Tour takes place July 23, maps available at Ferraro Foods, as well as the  Teck/Community in Bloom Tea. Tickets are $10 at Century 21.