Top honors for the prestigious 2022 America in Bloom National Awards Program were announced at the annual symposium and awards celebration held in St. Louis, Sept. 29 -Oct. 1.
Coshocton, was the winner of the Best Use of Containers in the Landscape Award. Additionally, Coshocton was the winner of the 11,000 – 14,000 Population Category Award. Other communities in this population category were Escanaba, MI; Lawrenceburg, KY; Plover, WI; and Swansea, IL.
Coshocton received special recognition for its Flowers from its Advisors. Leslie Pittenger and Linda Cromer, AIB Advisors, spent two days in the summer touring the community, meeting municipal officials, residents, and volunteers.
All participants were evaluated on seven criteria: community vitality, overall impression, environmental efforts, heritage celebration, urban forestry, landscaped areas, and flowers. America in Bloom is the only national awards program that sends specially trained Advisors to personally visit participants. In addition, each participant receives a detailed written evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements.
America in Bloom Executive Director Laura Kunkle, said, “America in Bloom is helping communities of all sizes achieve their potential. Every year our participants raise the bar, and the accomplishments and progress shown by this year’s group is remarkable. These are, without a doubt, some of the best places to live, work, and visit. Congratulations to Coshocton for the excellent work making your community more beautiful and vibrant.”
To date, more than 280 communities from 43 states have participated in the program and more than 22 million people have been touched by it. Registrations for the 2022 national awards program can be submitted until February 28, 2022. Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations, and recognized neighborhoods of large cities.