St. Albert's first ever cultivating Front Yards event wrapped up on September 18, 2012 at the Arden Theatre celebrating all of the nominations and winners for 2012. Get your green thumbs ready for next year!
We will be posting photos next week on our
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The St. Albert Leader for promoting our event and including this article in the newspaper!
The City of St. Albert honoured some of its greenest thumbs on Tuesday evening as the first-ever Cultivating Front Yards awards celebration was held at the Arden Theatre.
An initiative of the City's brand leadership team and put on by the business and tourism development department, the awards recognized residents and businesses who kept up spectacular front yards, thus contributing to the City's botanical arts brand.
Wayne and Patricia McMullen accept the award for Best Natural Front Yard from Marcin Hrehoruk of Devlin Construction at the Arden Theatre on Tuesday evening. (GLENN COOK, St. Albert Leader)
"Anyone living or visiting St. Albert cannot deny the fact that it is one of the most beautiful cities to live and visit, giving us the reputation of a Botanical Arts city," Mayor Nolan Crouse said in a press release. "It is a great pleasure to honour the people that embody and live the brand and build community spirit by making us the pride of residents and envy of others."
Winners included:
* Wayne and Patricia McMullen for Best Natural Front Yard, using native plants, limited pesticides and herbicides, and reduced water use;
* Sarasota Homes (25 Carleton Dr.) and Earls Restaurant (300 McKenney Ave.) for Best Business Front Yard;
* Tara Seeger of 7 Garden Cres. for Best Edible Front Yard, incorporating edible fruits or plants into the landscape design, including vegetables, grains, fruiting trees, berry bushes or even mushrooms;
* Penny Reidford and Carol Watamaniuk for Best Overall Front Yard;
* Antonio Foddis and Helen Rodgers for Best Art in a Front Yard.
As well, two additional awards were handed out for community spirit and innovation. The Winfield, Clayton and Climenhaga families at 88, 90 and 92 Larose Dr. took home the Good Neighbour Award for gardening together and designing landscapes that flow from one yard to the next.
Public works employees Paul Monilaws and Santos Roppo were also recognized for an innovative "up-cycling" display they created using materials from the City's recycling yard.
A total of 150 nominations were received for the program's five categories since the call went out in April 2012. A volunteer panel with representatives from the St. Albert and District Garden Club, the St. Albert Botanic Park and the City judged the entries.
There is also a Best Winter Front Yard category, for which an award will be handed out in early 2013.
For more information on the program, log on to www.cultivatebusiness.ca.
