America in Bloom judges in town to evaluate county's beauty

Thursday morning, judges from America in Bloom, a national non-profit group that "promotes nationwide beautification through education and community involvement by encouraging the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements," visited Flat Rock as part of their Henderson County trip.

They specifically looked at four locations in the village:

• Flat Rock Village Hall
• Flat Rock Playhouse
• St. John in the Wilderness
• The Park at Flat Rock

They are also judging Laurel Park, Hendersonville, and Mills River as part of their two-day visit.

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

Village of Flat Rock officials and park volunteers made a short presentation about the new Park at Flat Rock and answered questions from judges on a two-day visit to see if the community measures up to national beauty standards.

Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Mills River, Laurel Park and Henderson County are participating in the effort to get recognition by America In Bloom, a nonprofit organization that encourages beautification, historic preservation and volunteerism. The judges also look at community pride, and Flat Rock park volunteers displayed plenty of that.

"It's a gateway to the community," Sally Boyd, vice president of the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation, told the judges. "Everybody is going to see this as they come into Flat Rock and enjoy it.". . .

Read it all, and from the Times-News:

Henderson County rolled out the “green” carpet Thursday morning, welcoming judges from the America in Bloom national awards program to the start of a two-day tour of the heart of Apple Country that could put the land of four seasons on the map once again.

Henderson County will be competing against like-sized populations in Winter Park, Fla., Santa Paula, Cali., and Holland, Mich., this year, to win accolades from the nationwide beautification program that aims to “plant pride” in communities. Contestants will be judged in areas of overall impression, heritage preservation, environmental efforts, urban forestry, landscapes, floral displays and community involvement.

Modeled after successful beautification programs in Europe and Canada, Thursday marked America in Bloom's first visit to Henderson County.

Carol Elliott, of the Land O Sky Garden Club, and Mia Freeman, owner of Mia's Marketplace of Antiques & More, spearheaded the effort to bring America in Bloom to the county. . .

Read it all.