Westfield Blooming This Week

For weeks and months now, Westfield has been tidying up, dusting the corners, and putting out displays for a returning guest, America in Bloom.

For the second consecutive year Westfield is competing in the nationwide competition, coming off a very strong performance last year in which it was awarded a rating of four out of five blooms.

This year, the Downtown Westfield Corporation is pulling out all the stops to get Westfield that elusive fifth star.

Sherry Cronin, executive director of the DWC, said that this year there are 54 rectangular planters lining storefronts and common areas downtown, upped from 36 last year. Also, there are 24 baskets on poles around town, as well as 40 half baskets on both sides of Central Avenue near the bridge between North Avenue and South Avenue.

"[The 40 half baskets] were initially intended for South Avenue for the light poles," said Cronin, "but because they have not yet been installed by PSE&G, Central Avenue was a great 'Plan B'."

All of the flowers used in the displays were purchased by the DWC from Williams Nursery. Cronin said that Dave Williams of Williams Nursery "worked with his vendors and secured a $3,500 donation toward the flowers, and got 18 new rectangular planters donated."

Fafard, a North Carolina based soil supplier, provided the $3,500 flower donation in addition to as much free soil as needed to get the job done.

All together, Cronin estimates the total costs for the competition to be between $6,000 and $7,000, which includes the $1,100 registration fee.

In preparation for this event, Westfield has been getting help from just about everybody except Mother Nature, whom was gracious enough to bless the town with a triple digit heat wave this past week.

"It has been very challenging keeping everything watered," Cronin said, "and the weeds are more ferocious it seems than last year."

The AIB judges, Marlborough B. Packard and Bruce Riggs, arrived in Westfield on Sunday and began their two day tour around town Monday morning. Their accommodations are being provided by the Westfield Inn. The pair are being formally welcomed to town during a reception Monday evening at Acquaviva.

According to AIB's website, americainbloom.org, each participating town is responsible for planning a driving tour through the town as well as planning an itinerary that "provides good representation of your community, not just selected areas."

Each community will be judged on eight criteria: community involvement, floral displays, environmental awareness, heritage preservation, landscaped areas, tidiness, turf and ground covers, and urban forestry.

Westfield will be competing against two other communities within the population group: Murray City, UT and Michigan City, IN. Michigan City competed against Westfield last year in the AIB competition.

Cronin said that Packard and Riggs have already visited the other towns, and Westfield is the last stop. Cronin hopes that since the judges will be here on Tuesday, they will come out and experience the DWC's Tuesday night weekly downtown jazz night.

"I purposefully set their schedule so that they would be here during jazz," Cronin said, similar to the schedule the 2009 judges went through.

One major factor for Westfield, both this year and last, has been community involvement. Countless clubs and organizations, including the Rake and Hoe Club and the Garden Club of Westfield, make it their goal to beautify Westfield year round. Also, Cronin and Williams Nursery maintain a blog, westfieldinbloom.com, where they post about beautification projects all over town.