After nearly 80 years of recognizing the best kept residences and blocks in the various neighbourhoods of Medicine Hat, the Kiwanis Club has made the decision to discontinue its involvement in the program.--FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Since 1946, the News has been publishing photos of exceptional lawns, gardens and properties of local homeowners each week during the summer to promote the Kiwanis Club of Medicine Hat’s Best Block program, which highlights neighbourhood appeal and recognizes those who take extra pride in keeping their properties neat, tidy and beautiful.
The club would split the city into 12 zones, and residences were judged on factors including a variety of plants, creative landscapes and overall street apparel.
Over the years the News published well over 1,800 photos of zone winners within the Hat, showcasing the beauty and pride that burst from each of Medicine Hat’s neighbourhoods.
However, board members of the Kiwanis Club have now decided to discontinue the program, despite its popularity within the community, and refocus those efforts toward expanding local children’s programming, the main focus of Kiwanis Clubs around the world.
“The main focus of Kiwanais is children,” said Derrick Ironside, past president. “So Best Block is a resident program, and although you can make a case for it benefiting children, it doesn’t really benefit children.
“The club felt that it doesn’t really fit with our objectives, which is to benefit the children of the community. So it’s being shifted around and we’re prioritizing other initiatives, and hopefully those other projects will directly impact the children in the community.”
Another factor that led to the cancellation of the project was a lack of volunteers available to organize and run the community awards this year.
The project requires the efforts of nearly all local Kiwanis Club members who are sent out in pairs to judge the 12 zones throughout the city, as well as plan the annual award ceremony that honours all recipients with a plaque.
“We weren’t able to find the people that we needed to do the administrative end of it,” explains Ironside. “Without that, the program can’t run. It’s a big commitment on the part of the club, there’s no question about that.”
Ironside said annual competition brought out the best in many homeowners, who took the project seriously and were recognized several times.
“If we look back over the years, certain blocks and certain homeowners were multiple-time recipients of the week, or best residents of the year or best block of the year.”
However, there is hope the project might re-blossom. Although the Kiwanis Club will not be involved anymore, members have reached out to the Medicine Hat & District Horticultural Association and asked if they might to take over the project.
“We are prepared to give them all the paperwork and background that we have on the project. I mean, we had it over the years, we tweaked it here and there every so often to try and make it better, there’s a lot of background there. If they decide to go with it, they can just pick up and go,” says Ironside.
