Christine Whelan FEO, May 11, 2023, VOL. 4 ISSUE 19
As of April 27, Bruce Lowther of the Crystal Beach Beautification Committee said they are organized and ready to go. It’s all up to the weather now.
“It hasn’t been that great out yet,” said Lowther. “We’ve raked the leaves out of the gardens and ordered the plants. Everything’s in place.”
He met with his team the day before, organizing what needs to be done, who was available, and when. They’re just starting to get into full swing.
“It’s good that all our teams are working together when possible.” Lowther says the Crystal Beach BIA has monthly meetings and invites the other groups to find out who’s doing what and offering help,” referring to Advancing Crystal Beach and Friends of Crystal Beach.
This started a couple of years ago but this year, there’s an increase. The groups are getting more involved, according to Bruce. “Everybody is working in the same direction and helping each other out.”
Bruce first moved to Crystal Beach six years ago. Part of the deciding factor to moving here was his experience of driving down the Ridgeway Road hill, in between two rows of blooming colour, for the first time.
“People come in from out of town, from Ridgeway and Port Colborne for instance, and they recognize the flowers as a part of Crystal Beach. It has been like this for a few years.
“We got a lot of nice comments about the gardens last year because we put in a lot of extra work during the pandemic, once we were allowed to go back out.”
In 2020, the committee couldn’t get out to their gardens for the first six months due to the pandemic restrictions so once they got the go-ahead, they worked hard. Priorities shifted during those days and beautiful flowers were both noticed and appreciated more.
In 2021, with some restrictions still in place, “We didn’t have a problem because we had the protocols down pat and were more comfortable with the restrictions. The first year, everyone was afraid. We learned a lot for the following year.”
“Last week was the clean up.” On Saturday, April 22, residents of Crystal Beach, once again met at South Coasts for bags, gloves, and a route assignment.
“We went on Facebook to reach out to the community, inviting anyone to come out and clean up the community. It worked out pretty well. We got 15-20 people out for a couple hours.”
Watch For It
“There are four gardens on Ridgeway Road, the CBBC maintains those,” Bruce explained. “We order and put in the flowers and bushes. We rake them, keep them clean, keeping the gardens looking pristine.
“We put out the flower planters by the bikes. The BIA looks after the hanging ones. We order the flowers and plants from the Mill Greenhouse on Dominion Road. Yardstick Landscape does the watering.”
They are hoping to get the flowers out by the end of May, depending on the weather, of course. “We try to get everything in and nice for the American holiday.”
During a recent walk in “the Beach” on a rare, sunny day, I ran into one of the members, working hard in the garden that runs along Ridgeway Road, just past Rebstock Road, beautifying the daffodils. Bruce told me later it was Irene, the newest member who joined last year. “She has a positive impact on our team,” he added.
“When we’re out there, people come along, stop and talk to us, ask questions. Sometimes people honk their horns.”
The committee tries to get out three days a week. “Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are our best days, working with everyone’s schedules.”
About the top of the hill by the cemetery, “We’re planning on doing a little extra this year, extra flowers.”
The Power of Volunteers
The Crystal Beach Beautification Committee is made up of volunteers in the community. At the moment, they are down to five members. They are looking for volunteers.
“Everybody gives their ideas and input. We try to get the whole team involved.”
Bruce and I talked about the exercise involved, “It’s about getting down on your knees, working with the earth, raking, pruning. It’s physical work. Also in the fall and winter, we put plywood posters up for the holidays, seasonal displays at the top of the hill by the cemetery.”
The committee accepts students who are looking to get community hours for school. It’s a good opportunity to get last-minute hours.
Facebook Page
“We have a Facebook Page my wife put together, Crystal Beach Beautification Committee.”
The page is a little bit more than just a way to let people know about the committee’s activity. “She’ll be posting suggestions for people — when to do this when to do that — trying to inform the community of what they can do with their own gardens.
You can contact the Crystal Beach Beautification Committee through their Facebook Page or email Bruce Lowther at brucelowther@sympatico.ca.
