Communities in Bloom National Symposium takes over Stratford Oct. 16-18

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After being a founding member of Communities in Bloom (CiB) 31 years ago, the national symposium is returning to the Festival City this week.

Delegates from across the world will be staying in Stratford from Oct. 16-18, enjoying the cultural vibrancy, picturesque gardens and rich history that it offers.

Along with a host dinner provided by the City of Stratford on opening night, the symposium will take place on Friday and Saturday morning at the Stratford Agriplex. Each morning will feature presentations from a lineup of distinguished speakers, according to CiB’s governing body.

Then, the provincial, national and international award ceremonies take over the agriplex on Saturday night.

“You're going to be seeing delegates from across our great nation, and from people as far as way as Ireland,” Stratford city Coun. Brad Beatty, who sits on the local CiB advisory committee, told council on Oct. 14. He informed his colleagues and the public on what they can expect.

“Starting Thursday, we will have people enjoying all the amazing facilities that we have here in Stratford and showcasing everything that we take so much great pride in,” Beatty said. “So I just want to say thank you to all our staff that have done such a great job getting ourselves ready, to all the volunteers on the committee and our citizens at large that will be helping during this time. And I'm hopeful that our delegates will get to enjoy many of our great restaurants and stores when you're in town shopping. But most importantly, I want to thank my colleagues here on Stratford city council for your support in making this event happen.”