Lorna McIlroy and
COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM
BY MARILYN BOSSERT
Lorna McIlroy
Lorna McIlroy is a lifelong gardener and a lifelong learner . After an enjoyable quarter century in the classroom , taking early retirement has allowed her to pursue her passions — travelling , gardening and volunteering — particularly with the Communities in Bloom ( CiB ) program .
For the past eleven years she has been very pleased to be part of “ People , Plants and Pride , Growing Together ” as a provincial , national and international judge .
Any drive throughout Alberta will reveal the familiar CiB signage , with some version of “ Proud to be a Community in Bloom .” Provincial communities are grouped according to population for competitive judging . There is also the option of participating in the Friends ( non-competitive ) category , evaluated or non-evaluated .
Last year , the Alberta program included towns , villages and hamlets from all parts of the province . Winners from the provincial program are invited to join the national program . Again , all of Alberta was well represented . Winners at the national level have several options — including an international challenge .
Communities in Bloom is a volunteer-based , non-profit Canadian organization committed to fostering civic pride , environmental responsibility , and beautification through community participation and the challenge of participating in an internationally recognized Quality of Life program .
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