Cache Creek’s “Adopt a Planter” program has finished its third season, and at a luncheon on Oct. 8 participants were able to gather and celebrate the winners of this year’s awards.
There were 91 votes cast for the People’s Choice Award, which Cache Creek CAO Damian Couture says was the highest response they’ve ever had. The winner was the Milward-Billy Family planter.
This year’s judges were Sgt. Denise Harris of the Ashcroft RCMP detachment and Ashcroft mayor Barbara Roden. They toured the community and viewed all the planters in mid-September, then compared notes to determine the winners in four categories:
Best Use of Theme (“Designed for Desert”): Ashcroft and District Lions Club
Most Diverse: Cariboo Jade Shop
Most Creative: Summer Fun for All
Best Overall: In Memory of Ben Roy
At the lunch on Oct. 8, special thanks were given to Bev Lievers, Cache Creek’s administrative file clerk, who did all the organizing for this year’s planter program.
An idea floated at the lunch was to encourage the use of more desert-appropriate plants next year, possibly by bulk-purchasing plants that are suited to a desert environment and would require less water and stand up better to the heat.
Couture says that there were some challenges this year, including the fact that the planters that were located on the Chum’s property had to be moved when the site was sold. Ongoing construction of the Highway 97 bridge near Cache Creek Elementary School made access to the planters on the west side of the highway between Highway 1 and the school driveway more difficult.
Couture made special mention of Heidi and Judy Roy, who in addition to maintaining planters also brought additional water to the trees near the school, to ensure they continued to thrive. He added that there are still some planters that need to be watered by hand, presenting an additional challenge to the volunteers who planted and maintained them.
He notes that people are still excited by the program every spring. “It’s very accessible for people. Pretty much anyone with any level of mobility can do it, and we had grandparents and grandkids, and families, doing it together, so it’s multi-generational.”
Couture says that the village plans to continue the program next year, adding that while those who have already been part of the program get first dibs on the same planter they’ve already had, there are usually a couple of planters that come available each year.
“There’s usually a waiting list, and we encourage people who want to be on it to tell us sooner rather than later. We do the first call in early March.”
Those who take part can ask the village for assistance with some tasks, such as removing roots or turning over the soil if necessary. Once the beds are planted, participants can take a picture and then bring or submit it to the village in order to receive a $100 gift card that can be used in one of the three local businesses (Horstings, Desert Hills, or Ashcroft Home Hardware) that sell plants.
“It takes a lot of work, but people enjoy doing it,” says Couture. “They’re making their little mark on the community, and it gives a sense of community pride.
“Some of the people already volunteer in other ways, but for others this is their thing. There are different ways that people can volunteer.”
