Stroll through Bobcaygeon these days and there's something special in the air – flowers everywhere. Their fresh scent and beauty . . . one of summer's best perks..
Luckily for the village, the Bobcaygeon Horticulture society never fails to plant their gorgeous gardens and deck the bridge out in style with appealing displays. And now Impact 32 has added their own special touch with beautiful hanging baskets.
It's all part of making the village a welcoming centre for residents and visitors. A lot of thought and hard work go into beautifying a town, and it's costly too. Until last year, each merchant was asked for a donation to cover the cost.
“It makes a really important difference to small businesses,” says Councillor Kathleen Seymour Fagan, also owner of Kawartha Coffee Company. “It just wasn't fair to ask everyone to come up with the several hundred dollars it costs for a large flower basket and maintenance. So our Impact 32 beautification team applied for and received funding from the Bobcaygeon Community CHEST fund to cover most of the expense, and a smaller amount comes from a City of Kawartha Lakes 50/50 matching fund.”
This year the flowers came from Greenhouse on the River, and Kathleen and Jamie Henderson put up the hanging baskets with a whole lot of up-and-down-the-ladder help from Liam Fagan, 15, and Dr. Michael Fagan.
“We can certainly use more volunteers for beautification projects in Bobcaygeon,” says Kathleen, “and we'd love to get more teens involved. We're also looking for someone to help with administration for the beautification committee.”
Anyone interested can contact Impact 32 by sending an email to visitbobcaygeon@gmail.com and there's also a link at www.visitbobcaygeon.com for volunteers for the welcome centre at the locks and bike sharing program.
Impact 32 is a volunteer steering committee made up of local business owners and community organizers. We impact the growth of Bobcaygeon's year-round economic development and community beautification for the benefit of all residents, businesses and tourists.