5-star rating for High Prairie

Alicia Boisson
South Peace News

The willingness of High Prairie residents to contribute to the community in a goodwill effort earned the community a five-star rating for the 2006-07 Winterlights Celebration. On Feb. 17, the committee in charge of judging the celebration honoured the 33 participating communities, and High Prairie was one of them. As quoted by the Winterlights Celebration website, “The Town of High Prairie is a vibrant small community in Northern Alberta that presents itself in spectacular fashion as one enters on Highway 2A. Serving the needs of a broad and diverse area, High Prairie’s fortunate to have a strong and diverse volunteer base. Most of the major events and activities within the community have an aspect of community goodwill attached to them, and participation is noted from the business sector, the service clubs, town council and staff, and the citizens themselves. There is a strong sense of giving back to the community - in dollars, time, and in kind.” This year was the sixth edition of the celebration, which is a branch of the Communities in Bloom spring competition. Winterlights promotes community involvement through the enhancement of neighbourhoods and public spaces with colourful displays, and festive events and winter related activities. Each community that participates is placed in a category based on population, and then are given a rating of 1-5 stars. There are four criteria of the event that must be filled to be recognized as a finalist and they include: - Visual Presentation: this includes the decoration and illumination of the community. - Winter Pleasures, which considers indoor and outdoor activities and events such as winter festivals, etc. . . - Festive Season Celebrations: this includes choir festivals, tree lighting ceremonies, concerts, etc. - Goodwill programs: this criteria is based on the overall betterment of quality of life and enhanced lifestyles through goodwill programs, like High Prairie’s Santa’s Little Helper and Angel Tree. And last but not least is Tourism which is based on how well the community is showcased. The finalists of this year’s Winterlights Celebration are as follows: 1-5,000, Town of Mildmay, Ont.; 5,001– 0,000 Town of St. Marys, Ont.; 10,001- 50,000, City of Stratford; Over 50,000 City of Niagara Falls, Ont.

Copyright © 1999-2005 South Peace News. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster