It's Centennial Mile of Flowers Time!

Would you like to help beautify our city? The annual Mile of Flowers Plant-In happens Tuesday, May 26 starting at 5:00 pm. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to fill both sides of Cliffe Avenue with summer blooms. Help make this community event the biggest one ever for Courtenay’s centennial year.

Calling all community youth groups! Come plant and be entered in a draw to win a pool party at the Courtenay and District Outdoor Pool at Lewis Park.

The Mile of Flowers Plant-In will be followed by a free barbeque at Standard Park, courtesy of the City of Courtenay and the Courtenay Rotary Club. Standard Park is located on Cliffe Avenue at 14th Street. To make this centennial plant-in extra special, the BBQ will feature a live performance by Fiddlejam. You also might notice some costumed characters from 1915 winding their way along Cliffe Avenue.

Randy Wiwchar, the City’s director of community services, said the plant-in has many benefits, “It’s great to see the community working together at this event,” noted Wiwchar. “The best part is seeing the flowers you planted bloom for the summer and knowing you’ve been part of making that happen.”

Anyone can volunteer; just find an empty spot on Cliffe Avenue between 8th and 21st Streets, and start planting. The City recommends bringing a trowel or spoon for digging, as well as gloves. Participants are advised to stay off the road and plant safely on the sidewalk. Depending on the number of volunteers, the Plant-In can take as little as one hour.

City parks staff will lay out all the flower trays ahead of time, and they’ll be on-hand to answer questions and keep the event running smoothly.

The Plant-In is a Comox Valley tradition dating back to 1967, when Kathleen Kirk set out to commemorate Canada’s centennial year. That year she planted 7,800 seedlings as a welcome to tourists. What began as the initiative of one woman now involves hundreds of volunteers and 35,000 flowers.

For more information, please contact the City of Courtenay Community Services Department at 250-334-4441, email parks@courtenay.ca or visit www.courtenay.ca/mileofflowers