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America in Bloom
Planting Pride in Your Community | |
Photo Credit
Lompoc Valley, California
2009 50,001-100,000 Population Category Winner
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Gateways, Gardens, and Grandeur at the AIB Symposium
This year's AIB Symposium & Awards will be in St. Louis, Missouri,
September 30-October 2. Mark your calendars for this unique learning
opportunity designed to educate, motivate, and inspire. The symposium is open to everyone, not just for contest participants. If you are interested in beautifying and celebrating your community you should attend! For details on the educational sessions and tours visit the AIB web site, www.americainbloom.org.
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Detroit Community Gardens Grow Optimism
 More than 600 garden enthusiasts attended the 13th annual Detroit Agriculture Network Urban Garden and Farm Tour on Aug. 4. And if the 30 community gardens visited are proof of the power of homegrown fresh food to transform a community, our future looks very bright.
Several busloads and groups on bikes toured gardens created by families, whole neighborhoods, church members, youth groups, artists, even nuns from the Immaculate Heart of Mary order. Read the full article. |
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Celebrity Garden Guru to Appear at Symposium
Author, syndicated columnist, and television and radio host Joe Lamp'l ("Joe Gardener") will the guest host for the Saturday, October 2, AIB awards ceremony. For three years Joe hosted "Fresh from the Garden" on the DIY Network. There, he was responsible for maintaining a picture-perfect garden with the premise of taking vegetables from seed to harvest in a single episode. He is now the current host of "GardenSMART" on PBS television where he features spectacular gardens around the country and profiles the dedicated gardeners who nurture them. In addition, he is a frequent guest expert on shows such as The Today Show, Good Morning America and The Victory Garden. Visit Joe's web site for more information. |
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Businesses Can Cut Costs with Gardens
For a business, a garden can be a way to manage health care costs. Research shows people who eat food they grow tend to eat healthier and be more active.
Tipco, based in Butler County, Ohio, planted a community garden on company property earlier this year. In addtion to offering plots to employees, Tipco partnered with the county Extension service to proivde education for employees. Classes include sun safety, pest control, and cooking with herbs. Read the full article. |
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Dominoes
By Marvin Miller, AIB President
 I recently read some newspaper coverage from one of our AIB contest cities which quoted a consumer about what America in Bloom meant to her as a gardener. Her response was, "It's great! It gives me all kinds of ideas about what plants to grow and in what combinations." She continued, "If it's successful on Main Street, then I think I can grow this in my yard, too."
The learning opportunity expressed in the above quote - if it's successful elsewhere, then I can also grow it, too - is quite interesting. For many years, avid gardeners have referred to a "domino effect" that occurs in a city, neighborhood, or subdivision. This is often expressed as, "The more one gardener plants, the more it influences others to garden." Read more. |
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America in Bloom Raffle Ticket Winners Announced
Congratulations to the winners of last month's America in Bloom raffle. Frank Zaunscherb, Bobby Barnitz, and Jason VanWingerden were the big winners, and each decided to donate the money back to America in Bloom. Thank you! And thank you to everyone who purchased and/or sold raffle tickets. To learn how you can support America in Bloom, visit the web site. |
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Have a story to share? We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your
community, or let us know about a community you have visited that
should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org.
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