Edmonds in Bloom

Edmonds Elementary School is in desperate need of a new playground. Constructed in the 1970s, the equipment is old and outdated. The school's PTA formed a Playground Committee last year to raise money for a new play structure.

With efforts like last month's spaghetti feed that brought in thousands of dollars, including a $1,000 donation from Edmonds in Bloom in memory of former teacher Bill Hamilton, the project is well on its way to becoming a landmark play space for students. Over $197,000, including matching funds from the city and the school district, has been raised after less than a year of campaigning.

The donation from Edmonds in Bloom was especially meaningful because Bill Hamilton taught at the school for several years prior to his death in August, and was a beloved and influential teacher who taught for over 30 years in the district. Edmonds in Bloom was looking for worthy causes to support in the community, particularly those related to children, when they learned about the playground project.

"It was perfect timing and the money will go a long way," said Ken Reid, chair of the Edmonds in Bloom Community Service Committee.

The money will be used for landscape aspects of the playground, such as a garden or picnic area, said Playground Committee Chair Diana White.

Bill's wife Jeri Hamilton was on hand for the presentation of the check to the school and was honored to have her late husband remembered in such a special way.

"Children were the heart of his life," said Jeri. "He had such magic with children."

Edmonds in Bloom helps Elementary Blossom

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Edmonds in Bloom recently donated $500 to College Place Elementary in Edmonds for plants and tools to help enhance school grounds.

"This is wonderful," exclaimed school Principal Sue Venable. "We have been working on beautifying the areas around the classrooms and this will help us to continue our landscaping project."

From the moment Venable became the principal at College Place she has been working on bringing flowers to the campus, first on her own by providing flower boxes to be placed along school corridors and later by applying for grants and partnering with the local high school.

The donation was presented to the school by Edmonds in Bloom Treasurer Ken Reid. "Sue Venable and her students have already done wonderful things at the school, with planter boxes, flowering trees, bulbs and so forth," said Reid. "The Edmonds in Bloom grant will be used to further those programs, and to acquire some gardening tools to make their work easier and more efficient. Our organization is pleased to be putting this money back into the community, and specifically, to benefit its children."

Fourth grader Saville Pickar summed it up, "When the school has flowers it looks like the school provides a good education - that the students are blooming."

(l to r) College Place Elementary fifth-grade student Janie Ummel, Principal Sue Venable, Edmonds in Bloom Treasurer Ken Reid and fourth-grade student Saville Pickar.

Get in the mood for planting at Edmonds in Bloom Kids Plant For Mom's Day

On Saturday, April 30, Edmonds in Bloom will host a lively Spring Gardening Festival in downtown Edmonds. This year's event offers something for everyone, with children's events, arts and crafts, advice from Master Gardeners, live music, wine tasting, great prizes, and plenty of shopping opportunities.

Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and activities are planned throughout the downtown core. Budding young gardeners are encouraged to plant containers with flowers as colorful living gifts for Mother's Day at Old Milltown (a nominal $5 fee will be charged for the plants and pot). Demonstrations by local Master Gardeners and gardening clinics are also planned. Arts and crafts activities will be offered at Edmonds Bookshop, Teri's Toybox, C'est la Vie, Kindred Circle and The Muse, all located in the downtown core. The Edmonds Floretum Garden Club will mark the occasion with its annual plant sale.

New this year, Edmonds in Bloom will be handing out "Bloom Books." These books list all the "Friends of the Festival," and let visitors know what specials are being offered in individual shops. Festival attendees will be encouraged to go to the various participating shops to have their Bloom Book stamped and to discover what Edmonds has to offer.

Along with the Bloom Book, visitors will also have an opportunity to enter to win one of three professionally designed garden pots. Each of these potted gardens is unique, reflecting its designer: gardening enthusiast Barry Tharp, horticulturalist Gary McLaughlin, and The Edmonds Floretum Garden Club.

Edmonds in Bloom is celebrating its 10th year. A non-profit community organization, Edmonds in Bloom is dedicated to increasing color and beauty within the community, promoting civic pride, and encouraging economic development. The organization not only hosts the annual Kids Plant For Mom's Day, it also conducts a floral competition each year in July and a garden tour that features Edmonds' most beautiful backyards.

For general information about Edmonds in Bloom please contact this year's President, Barbara Norgaard-Reid, at 425-778-4964.