In honor of its 250th Anniversary this year, Hummelstown is entering the America in Bloom contest.
America in Bloom (AIB) is a national quality-of-life program, using horticulture to help beautify a town, assist in economic improvement and build community pride. Camp Hill and Hershey have enjoyed the benefits of the AIB process. Any town, regardless of size or circumstance (including Harrisburg), can use AIB as a catalyst to improve its public image by encouraging community involvement and inspiring change and improvement.
The America in Bloom program is a contest among similar-sized communities. AIB efforts are judged in six categories and the process begins with someone or a group of interested residents learning about AIB and deciding that the process would benefit their town.
As the group gets organized, the first step is to share the benefits of AIB with business leaders, local government officials and private citizens. Once there is sufficient interest, an application is sent to the AIB office. Two judges are assigned to each population group.
Before judges visit each town for two days during the summer, they receive a community profile. This is an introduction to the town with basic information on municipal services, commercial vibrancy and local citizenry. The profile includes a written section about these six criteria being judged:
Overall Impression – Cleanliness and proper maintenance of private and public spaces including the commercial area. How the town looks and feels when you are there.
Floral displays – Flower beds, containers, arrangement, originality, distribution, as well as integration of annuals, perennials, and seasonal flowers, in well-maintained fashion.
Landscaped Areas – Overall design and suitability of turf and ground covers including native plants with concern for maintenance and sustainability.
Urban Forestry – Distribution, variety and suitability of trees that are used, planted and inventoried by qualified personnel and managed by a local commission of volunteers.
Environmental Effort – Sustainable practices such as recycling, water quality management for use and waste, cleanup of the environment, and lowering of the town’s carbon footprint.
Heritage Preservation – The cultural, natural, historical, preservation and restoration of public and private buildings and sites by a committee or historical society.
When the judges complete their multi-town tour, each town visited receives a detailed evaluation highlighting strengths and listing areas for possible improvement. In the fall, there is a symposium and awards program. This begins the process of seeing what others see when they come to your town. Once you become aware of areas that are seen and appreciated by others – and perhaps some areas where attention is needed – your town’s overall efforts can expand and improve.
This summer, Hummelstown will be judged. Come, see what we’ve done. We look forward to hosting the judges and the America in Bloom program. For more information about America in Bloom, visit www.americainbloom.org.
Jay Stanton of Hummelstown is a gardener, founder of the Susquehanna Hosta Society, and a member of the Hobby Greenhouse Association. You can reach him at thermalhouse@comcast.net.
