Communities in Bloom judges in King today
By Bill Rea

Steve Pellegrini, chair of this year's Communities in Bloom Committee in King, was doing some last-minute tidying up at the Pioneer Cemetery in Lloydtown Monday. The Communities in Bloom judges will be visiting the cemetery today (Wednesday).

The judges are in town, and they are to be shown King Township at its best.

Communities in Bloom judges Mario Fournier and Sylvie Cormier arrived in King yesterday (Tuesday), at which time they were shown a couple of the local sights. Today (Wednesday) promises to be packed, complete with a helicopter tour of the township, combined with stops at such spots as the Pioneer Cemetery in Lloydtown, Dufferin Marsh, Zander Sod on Highway 9, Joker's Hill, Kettleby, the Township Works Yard near Pottageville, the site of the Slokker Canada subdivision in Nobleton, Cold Creek, King Township Museum, Pine Farm Orchards, concluding tonight with the Community Showcase at Kettleby-Pottageville Lions Community Hall.

King Township received five blooms and an impressive 831 out of a possible 1,000 points in last year's national Communities in Bloom competition. Local organizers are hoping for better things this year.

Virginia Turman of King City was among those pitching in Saturday, sprucing things up around the garden at the corner of Keele Street and King Road.

"I'd love to win," commented former Township councillor Steve Pellegrini, who's chairing the Communities in Bloom Committee this year in King. "But whether we win or lose, King's won because it looks fabulous."

He added King is renowned for its picturesque landscapes, but it should also be recognized for its volunteers.

"People have chipped in and done a ton of work," he declared, adding things get better each year of the competition.

"We're doing well," Pellegrini remarked Monday afternoon, as he did some last-minute sprucing up around the cemetery in Lloydtown. One problem with an effort like this is King's vastness, meaning it's hard to fit all the sights worth seeing into a day of touring. That's one of the reasons for the helicopter tour. "King is just so rich in culture, its gardens, its heritage," he declared.

Lynda Rogers and Barb Park were fixing up the flowers around the gazebo in Nobleton last Wednesday morning.

This is the third year that King has competed at the national level of Communities in Bloom. In 2004, Kig placed first in provincial competition.

King last year competed with 11 other municipalities in the same population class. First place went to Parksville, British Columbia. This year, the township will be in the 13,001 to 20,000 population category, with White Rock, B.C.; Brooks, Alberta; Leduc, Alberta; Pembroke, Ontario; Miramichi, New Brunswick; and Grand Falls - Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The results will be announced next month.

Volunteers from the Dufferin Marsh Committee were doing their bit in Schomberg Saturday. Former Schomberg resident Jill Kelly was working on one side of Dr. Kay Drive, and Linda Cholmondeley was busy on the other.