Communities in Bloom. RMWB Supplied image
Fort McMurray celebrates community pride through blooming gardens and shared harvests
Fort McMURRAY, AB. — The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is once again recognizing local green thumbs with the return of Communities in Bloom, an annual celebration of floral displays, landscaping, and community beautification. Residents are encouraged to nominate eye-catching gardens and storefronts across the region through the “Nominate Your Neighbour” campaign, now open until August 15.
Submissions are easy: residents simply upload a photo of a front yard or storefront to the municipal website. Each nominee will receive a recognition package that includes a certificate and lawn sign, and lucky winners will receive a gardening kit. Selected photos may also be featured on the RMWB’s social media channels.
This year’s featured plant is lettuce, and the municipality is giving away free seed packets at locations across the region. From the Oil Sands Discovery Centre to rural municipal offices in Anzac, Conklin, Janvier, and Fort Chipewyan, gardeners can pick up seeds and start growing.
Alongside the contest, the municipality is launching the “Grow a Row, Share a Row” initiative. Residents and businesses are invited to grow lettuce and share their harvest with neighbours or local organizations, such as the Wood Buffalo Food Bank.
Each bag of lettuce donated earns an entry into a prize draw for a planter box package. Participants are asked to label donations, snap a photo, and upload it online for a chance to win.
The Communities in Bloom committee says it hopes the combined programs will inspire people across Wood Buffalo to take pride in their outdoor spaces and give back through gardening. Full details, nomination forms, and seed pickup locations are available at rmwb.ca/CIB.
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