ELK POINT – It’s been a year-long wait and months of preparation, but Tuesday is the day that judges from Communities in Bloom will be coming to town as part of the 2025 competition.
Elk Point’s Communities in Bloom committee, made up of members of the Economic Development Committee, Town of Elk Point representatives and Community Gardens representative Sue Campbell were set to meet the judges over coffee at the Public Works shop at 9 a.m., before setting out on a driving tour to the Peter Fidler statue, Centennial Drive, the spray park, schools, arena and pickleball court, continuing past Markstad Park, Parkview Extended Care, Heritage Lodge and Elk Point Healthcare Centre before their first stop at the Laverne Wilson Public Library.
There, they will visit the Community Gardens and have a look at the 100-foot historical mural before starting on a walking tour that will take them to the downtown area, with stops for lunch at Magic Pizza and dessert at Golden Loaf Bakery.
A visit to the cabin in the Iron Horse Trail staging area will give insight into the history of the trail and community, before the group tours the industrial park and Allied Arts.
Later, the judges will be taken on a driving tour to the Riverside campground, the Elk Point Lions fishpond, ball diamonds, golf course and campground before the judges take a break to evaluate their findings, before joining the EDC committee for a question period and supper.
The Aug. 12 schedule was one of the main topics of discussion at last week’s EDC meeting, but another upcoming event was also on the agenda.
Registration has been slow to date for the Elk Point 60K Ultra, but EDC chair Terri Hampson is confident that with that event almost two months away on Oct. 4, there is still plenty of time to sign up. She has a new vice lead in Lisa MacDonald, who is well versed in distance runs, and was happy to report that food for the runners will be supplied by the Iron Horse 100. What she does need, she said, are volunteers to deliver snacks and other items to the checkpoints at Fort George and Buckingham House and at Lindbergh.
Also on the agenda was the newly launched Hello Elk Point Project, which is off to a good start with its website and social media gone live. Its originator, Natalie Maas, will be asked to provide a full progress report at the September EDC meeting.
