REDVERS - The Memorial Pots in Redvers have earned the town a provincial recognition.
The Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA) announced on Oct. 30 the winners of Saskatchewan's Communities in Bloom program. Redvers took home the Heritage Recognition Award for its Memorial Pot Project.
Starting in 2015, the Memory Pot Project's intent is to allow the public to commemorate and remember their loved ones from the Redvers area through the sponsorship of a planter.
The project started small, with around 20 participants in the first year. Wooden pots were made in the area, and nearby greenhouses were engaged for the flowers. A part-time seasonal beautification maintenance person was hired to care for the project.
Over the next few years, the pots gained in popularity and sponsorships. The project now includes 70 planters. As part of the town's ongoing beautification efforts, the pots are decorated in the Christmas season with ornaments, and birch and evergreen branches.
Each memory pot includes a custom-made sign designed by the Redvers Town Office that may include names, dates, quotes and photos from loved ones at the request of the sponsor. There is also an opportunity to include a QR code linked to a memorial obituary, special song or article.
Photos of the memory pots are taken each year and posted to social media. This is a key aspect of the program since many sponsors are not residents. This allows them to see their sponsored memory pot virtually. The planters are placed along the downtown and highway businesses, throughout the recreation grounds, and at the town's welcome signs.
A press release for the award says the community is very proud of the memory pots and feels it is a unique initiative that can be called their own as the years pass and the project grows.
Redvers received three blooms from Communities in Bloom for its beautification efforts this year, with the memory pots and its hometown history project included in the evaluation.
Participants in Communities in Bloom enhanced their communities and were evaluated by the following criteria: community appearance, environmental action, heritage conservation, tree management, landscape, and plant and floral displays. Participants are recognized with a bloom rating, and through the program's evaluation, special recognition awards and a photo contest also take place.
