Ocala Recognized In Communties In Bloom Contest

OCALA, Fla. (Sept. 23, 2008) – Ocala has been recognized for its turf and groundcovers and won a coveted “five bloom” rating for overall excellence in the international Communities in Bloom Competition.

The awards were announced Saturday at the Communities in Bloom National Awards Ceremony held in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Ocala won the Scotts Turf Builder Turf and Groundcover Award from among 154 participating communities. Ocala also won the highest possible five bloom rating.

Ocala was invited to participate in the competition after winning first place in its population category in the 2007 America in Bloom contest. It also won the five bloom rating in that competition.

Communities competed in eight categories: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, tree/urban forest management, landscaped areas, floral displays, and turf and groundcovers.

Contest efforts were coordinated locally by the Ocala Pride in Bloom Committee, which is a nonprofit volunteer group.

A local delegation distributed a DVD about the community during the awards event. The DVD was funded through a grant from the Tourism Development Council and produced by the Chamber of Commerce. A city flag was presented to the mayor of Lethbridge, which was flown along with flags from other communities during the ceremony.

“We all know that Ocala is a jewel and it is very exciting that its natural beauty as well as local beautification efforts have been recognized through this prestigious awards program,” said Pamela Stafford, chair of the Ocala Pride in Bloom Committee. “We especially appreciate the vital financial support from local businesses and individuals. We could not have shared our community with representatives from other countries without it.”

Participating communities were from Japan, Ireland, England, Scotland, Canada, and the United States.
 
Judges were here in June to evaluate the community.
 
A complete listing of award winners is available at the following Web site: www.communitiesinbloom.ca

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For more information contact:
Sonny Allen, Information & Publications Coordinator

For additional information on the national program,
contact America in Bloom at 614-487-1117
or visit www.americainbloom.org.