Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Hay River (July 23/01) - It's like company's coming in Hay River and Fort Smith. Both towns have been sprucing up for the annual Communities in Bloom competition, making sure the flower beds are in order and everything is spic and span.

June Eirikson, president of the Hay River Horticultural Society. - Lynn Lau/NNSL photo

They're the only communities in the Northwest Territories to compete in the national event, which encourages community pride and beautification.

National judges will arrive July 31 and Aug. 1 for Hay River, and Aug. 5 and 6 for Fort Smith. Communities are judged on eight categories including tidiness, floral arrangements and urban forest.

Last year, Hay River, pitted against similarly sized towns across the country, was awarded three blooms out of a possible five in the national competition. Fort Smith, competing in the territorial category, also received three blooms.

This is the first time Fort Smith will be entered in the national category.

The Fort Smith Gardeners will also be organizing a first time gardens' tour Aug. 15, just before the Friendship Festival.

"A lot of times, you see nice front yards, but in Fort Smith, it's the backyards that are really awesome," says Janie Hobart, a member of the Fort Smith Gardeners. "So it's something that you normally don't get to see."

The Hay River Public Library will be organizing a similar event July 29.

In the meantime, June Eirikson, president of the Hay River Horticultural Society, is hoping to get some good dry days. "We could sure stand some good weather so we can cut the grass," says Eirikson.

In the last four years that Hay River has participated in Communities in Bloom, the town has seen the addition of new benches, as well as decorative banners and flower baskets on street posts. "I'm very proud and the town should be proud," says Eirikson, "We've improved a lot."

Hay River is focusing more on composting this year, an area where points were lost in previous years. Earlier this month, the Hay River Horticultural Association ran a backyard composting seminar to encourage homeowners to start composting. At the seminar, 75 backyard composters were distributed to interested gardeners.

The week prior to the national judges' arrival, the horticultural society will run a local competition. Winners of the contest will take home over $1,600 donated by the Town of Hay River and local businesses.

In Fort Smith, the focus has been on community involvement. This year, a new program was set up to allow businesses and individuals to sponsor hanging flower baskets placed around town.

During the weeks before the judges arrive, the Fort Smith Gardeners are asking community members to clean-up.