Wood Buffalo receives full Five Star rating in WinterLights
Celebrations

(Fort McMurray, AB – March 8, 2010) – Wood Buffalo has received a Five Star rating in its first year participating in the National WinterLights Celebrations competition and a special mention in Youth Leadership in Goodwill Programs, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced today.

WinterLights Celebrations is the winter edition of the popular Communities in Bloom program and encourages all Canadians to join in their local community events and activities, and to experience the beauty and thrill of winter. The National WinterLights Celebrations results were announced in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on March 6.

"The judges were very impressed with the programs and festivities that Wood Buffalo has to offer, as well as the involvement of the community during the winter season," said Seville Kwan, Beautification Coordinator. “The WinterLights Celebrations program was a great way for Wood Buffalo to showcase the community and to promote the winter activities in our region. Thank you to all the individuals for displaying your winter spirit in our community”

The national judges, Berta Briggs and Steve Preston, toured Wood Buffalo on December 15-17, 2009. The judging focused on five criteria categories, including Festive Season Celebrations, Goodwill Programs, Winter Pleasures, Visual Presentations and Tourism/Promotion. Many community members and organizations showed how our residents embrace winter in the Wood Buffalo region. The tour highlights included presentations from the Ptarmigan Nordic Ski Club, Santa’s Anonymous, United Way, and a tour through the community to see visual decorations of businesses and homes.

“This program is a wonderful way to showcase to the rest of Canada how a ‘northern community’ does not stop when winter sets in,” said Tracey Carnochan, Chair of the Wood Buffalo Communities in Bloom Committee. “The fact that we received Five Stars our first time shows that the residents of this community already appreciate the beauty and opportunities winter brings. The national recognition to the youth of this community is letting out one of our best kept secrets.”

As this was the first year that the Municipality participated in the program, Wood Buffalo entered into the non-competitive ‘friends category’.

“The judges provided us with a lot of constructive feedback that will help prepare us for the 2010/2011 program”, said Kwan. The committee will be entering the WinterLights Celebrations competition at the competitive level next winter season.

For more information on the Wood Buffalo Communities in Bloom program and WinterLights Celebrations, please visit www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/cib.

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