Northfield in Bloom

 

In February of 2008, the steering committee of Northfield in Bloom registered to participate in America in Bloom.  America in Bloom is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting nationwide beautification programs and personal and community involvement through the use of flowers, plants, trees, and other environmental and lifestyle enhancements.  America in Bloom provides the challenge of a friendly competition between participating communities across the country.  To learn more about America in Bloom visit their web site at www.Americainbloom.org.

On July 28 and 29, two judges from America in Bloom will visit Northfield to:

What do the judges look for during their visit?  Eight America in Bloom categories are evaluated.

  1. Floral Displays (flowerbeds, planters, containers and window boxes)

  2. Tidiness (boulevards, sidewalks, streets, road shoulders, amount of garbage, debris and weeds, amount of visual clutter)

  3. Landscaped Areas (overall design and plant suitability, tasteful integration of art elements, high standards of maintenance)

  4. Urban Forestry (municipal policies, distribution of trees, new planting, preservation of heritage trees)

  5. Heritage (museums, preservation and restoration of buildings, churches, cemeteries, sites)

  6. Community (garden clubs, service organizations, local business community and children, teens, adults and seniors)

  7. Turf & Groundcovers (conditions of turf on sports fields, parks, residential and business properties, programs of fertilization, watering, and naturalization)

  8. Environmental Effort (policies and by-laws on waste reduction, landfills, water sources and conservation)

For more information, contact Steering Committee Chair Pat Allen at 507-645-9298.

 

How you can help

We are looking for volunteers in the eight categories of America in Bloom. Some are individual efforts and others might need a team effort.


1. Tidiness – Neighborhood and Community Projects
*Clean up your yard and neighborhood
*Remove garbage and recycling containers from the neighborhood front yards
*Park RVs, boats, unused cars, mowers, etc. in garages or in back yards
*Clean up your city where needed with owners approval if appropriate
*Join the AIB Graffiti Patrol (call Pat Allen at 645-9298)
*Start an AIB Clean Team to help with watering, weeding, planting, trash pickup, etc. (call Marcia Walters at 952-652-3412)
*Adopt a neighborhood park to keep clean and trash and weed free
*Weed your yard and help your neighbors weed theirs
*Sweep the public sidewalks and parking lots as needed
*Patrol the Riverwalk and parking areas and pick up rocks

2.Floral Displays in the Community*Join the AIB Plant Patrol (call Judy Code at 645-5154)
*Plant flowers, trees and shrubs for the disabled and elderly
*Plant wherever appropriate with owners approval (call Judy Code at 645-5154)
*Pot up plants or cut flowers from your garden and distribute them to anyone who inspires you

3.Environmental Effort in the Community
*Green up your neighborhood
*Green up your organizations

4.Urban Forestry in the Community
*Remove buckthorn in your yard and neighborhood (email Dan Hudson at hudsond@stolaf.edu
*Trim the trees and shrubs of neighbors who can’t do it themselves

5.Landscaping for Community Projects
*Create corner gardens in your neighborhood
*Create rain gardens for your neighborhood
*Create front yard gardens or boulevard gardens

6.Turf and Groundcover for Community Projects
*Use organic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides
*Pull weeds before they go to seed

7.Heritage Projects
*More to come this summer and fall.

8.Community Involvement Projects
*Work with your friends and neighbors to beautify your front yards and your neighborhood
*Help with the above efforts to ensure a positive community norm of pride in the community

 

“Built” Date House Plaques 

One aspect of Northfield’s Heritage is its well-maintained homes, many of which were a part of early Northfield.  In recognition and celebration of this historical heritage, America in Bloom (AIB)-Northfield is encouraging residents to add a “Built” date plaque on their houses.   We think it would help serve as a reminder to us of our city’s historical assets and the need to celebrate and protect those assets. 

Source and Price of Plaques

AIB-Northfield has identified several companies that sell the same style date plaque.  We have an agreement with one company (House and Garden Accents) that we will be given a discount if 30 or more orders are placed for the same color, i.e., pewter with silver date.  A sample can be seen on the companies’ websites provided below, on the house at 418 College St., and on the pictures below.

   

Below is the contact information for the two companies whose plaques are the least expensive; they and other companies sell the same style and material, and have the same color options. All plaques are made of recycled aluminum with dimensions of 12.5” x 7.5”.   

If you decide you would like to order the “Pewter with Silver date” for a total of $39.75 please contact Alice Thomas at ythoma078@yahoo.com or 645-8482.  She will place your order on June 22 and deliver to you upon arrival.  If you would like a different color, please order directly from the companies below or any other if you can find this type at a better price. 

 1.  House and Garden Accents

http://www.houseandgardenaccents.com/wl1029.html

If ordering a color other than Pewter:

Order Plaque # WL 1029 (contains the word “Built”)

See the “Please select a plaque color” menu. 

           $52.95 (+ $7.95 shipping) = $60.90 (their regular price)

If ordering Pewter color with silver letters (price available only through bulk

order with a June 22 deadline (see contact information for Thomas above)): 

           $38.75 (+ $1.00 shipping) = $39.75 (bulk order price)

2.  Address Plaque Shops/Net City Shops

 http://www.addressplaqueshops.com/WHDATEPLAQUE.html

Order Plaque # WH1029 (contains the word “Built”)

See link to “color choices”. 

            $59.95 + shipping ($10.32) and sales tax ($4.02) = $74.29

            Note:  The web indicates there is no shipping charge for this item but that

            applies only to $65 or higher items.  For a sample, we were charged

            $10.32 plus 6.7% sales tax.  Regular shipping might be less than $10.32

            That we were charged.

Timeline

We would like to have as many plaques as possible in place by the time of the visit of the national AIB judges on July 28th & 29th.  The companies indicate we should allow at least 4 weeks for delivery.  The deadline to order the Pewter plaque for $39.75 is June 22.  Please complete the form below (copy and paste) and return to ythoma078@yahoo.com.  The receipt of the form will be confirmed by e-mail.

Date of House

If you have an older home and are not sure of the date it was built (the deeds on many of the older homes do not contain the date a house was built on the property), you can use a program available through the Rice County Assessor’s Office.  Follow these steps.

1.  Go to http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/

2. Select “Minnesota” and “Rice County” and click “I agree”

3. Enter your house address and click on “search”

4. Click on Click here to visit the Assessor's VCS information page (this second page contains the “Year Built” date – along with a lot of other information).

Bulk Order Form for Pewter color plaque – Deadline of June 22

Bulk price quoted from House and Garden Accents: 

$38.75 (+ $1.00 shipping) = $39.75

            Color:  Pewter with silver letters

            Payment:  Please make check out to “Northfield Garden Club”

 

  1. Name:

 

  1. Address:

 

  1. “Built” date to appear on plaque:

 

  1. E-mail address:

 

  1. Telephone number:

 

 

 

About Us

Events

Membership

Resources

Home