AIB Finds New Winners

After a year or more of hard work and community dedication, American In Bloom (AIB) found itself with eight new winners for 2004. The winners in the eight different population categories were announced at the Third Annual America in Bloom Symposium and Awards Program, October 9 in the 2003 largest winning category city (500,001-1,000,000) of Indianapolis, Ind.

AIB is a national campaign and contest that promotes enhancing communities through beautification. In the competition, communities are put under population categories and evaluated on their efforts related to floral displays, urban forestry, landscaped areas, turf and groundcover, tidiness, environmental awareness, heritage conservation and community involvement. Judges visited the communities this past summer to take a closer look at the tough competition.

Approximately 35 communities from all over the country participated in AIB this year. The following are the winners of AIB’s 2004 population categories:

• 5,000 or less – Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
• 5,001-10,000 – Goshen, N.Y.
• 10,001-15,000 – Greenfield, Ind.
• 15,001-25,000 – Hershey, Pa.
• 25,001-50,000 ““Sandusky, Ohio
• 50,001-100,000 – Fayetteville, Ark.
• 100,001-300,000 – Naperville, Ill.
• University Campus – Utah State University

In addition to the population categories, six extra awards were presented to communities that received high marks out of all contestants in all population categories. The additional award winners are:

• Ball Horticultural Co. Floral Displays Award – Newburyport, Mass.
• Proven Winners Landscaped Areas Award – Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
• American Horticultural Society Community Involvement Award – Vernal, Utah
• The Scotts Co. Turf & Groundcover Areas Award ““Hershey, Pa.
• Gardens Alive! Environmental Awareness Award – Kalamazoo County, Mich.
• Hirons & Company Communications Heritage Conservation Award – Goshen, N.Y.

Plans are underway for AIB 2005. For more information about AIB, contact Laura Kunkle at (614) 487-1117 or E-mail at lkunkle@ofa.org. Also visit AIB’s Web site at www.americainbloom.org.