Our thanks and admiration goes Slippery Rock for its participation in the America in Bloom awards program.

Special thanks go to Slippery Rock in Bloom and all of their members, staff, participants, sponsors and volunteers for organizing remarkable tours and meetings July 19 through July 22. We have enjoyed meeting and spending time with all of you as you showcased all of the reasons Slippery Rock has to be proud.

America in Bloom envisions communities as welcoming and vibrant places to live, work, and play — benefiting from colorful plants and trees; enjoying clean environments; celebrating heritage; and planting pride through volunteerism.

America in Bloom is more than flowers. Your advisers will evaluate your efforts in the seven pillars that make communities great — floral display, landscaping, urban forestry, heritage preservation, environmental initiatives, community vitality and overall impression with community involvement in the residential, commercial, university and municipal sectors.

We will provide a written evaluation immediately following our symposium. We welcome everyone to attend our symposium, held in Spartanburg and Greenwood, S.C., Sept. 28-30, where we will announce this year’s award winners.

Barbara Vincentsen, America in Bloom adviser, Johns Island, S.C.

Connie Baggett, America in Bloom advisor, Brewton, Ala.