Thank You America in Bloom®!   7/8/2008

Pictured from Left to Right: Front Row: Leslie Croyle (AIB Judge), Ruth Elijah, Mayor Patty Fisel, Norma Donley. Back Row: Jason Becker, Bill Hahn (AIB Judge), Jerry Donley, Wayne Fox, Chris Fought. Not Pictured: Betty Petersen

What is America in Bloom®?

LIGONIER, IN-On Monday July 7th, two judges representing the America in Bloom contest met with several members of the local government and community leaders to meet each other and review the agenda for the 2 day visit. Bill Hahn and Leslie Crowl, both from Ohio, were the judges that were sent to survey the city. Each judge has had several years of experience not only in judging city criteria, but also began their experience with AIB by participating with their home town in the contest. Bill and Leslie were both very excited to be in Ligonier to see what our community is doing to promote a solid community foundation and quality of life.

The criteria that the judges evaluate a city on are much more than flowers and landscaping as the name America in Bloom would suggest. The criteria are: Heritage Preservation, Tidiness, Community Involvement, Floral Display, Landscaped Areas, Sod & Groundcover Areas, Urban Forestry and Environmental Awareness.

Our goal for this participation was to have someone from the outside of our community come and compare us to other communities of similar size and give us recommendations of what we are doing well and areas that we needed to work on. Throughout the two day visit the judges were introduced to: City government officials; past, present and future city projects; Jenny Thompson Gardens; Ligonier Library; Operation Foundation; Discovery Express; Ligonier Police; Ligonier Fire; Future Ligonier Alliance; Radio Museum; Ligonier Historical Society; Ligonier Water Dept; Ligonier Waste Water Treatment; Stone’s Trace Historical Society; Ligonier Parks and a driving tour of the entire community. There was so much to show Bill and Leslie that we ran out of time or had to cut short several discussions of these areas and several more.

I want to thank everyone involved with this visit. Without the support of each person, this visit would never have been received as well as it was. Thank you so much for each of your efforts. I am so proud of all the people that participated in this visit. We have some of the most dedicated and visionary people in this community that I have ever seen gathered for one goal – the improvement of the quality of life for the citizens of Ligonier.

Everyone should know that these judges were absolutely amazed at the things this city and its citizens are doing. Monday night Bill and Leslie were presented Operation Foundation and what its goals are for our community. This meeting was inspirational to everyone that attended. Bill gave such wonderful words of encouragement to the foundation building movement that Operation Foundation is doing. No other city that they have seen our size has such a dedicated volunteer group as Ligonier does.

From this meeting we were asked to present Operation Foundation to the National Convention of America in Bloom held the first weekend of October in Columbus Ohio. What an honor this is for a new participant in this contest.

I would like to make a personal ‘Thank You’ to the groups and individuals that made this possible. Without the support of groups and people like these, our vision for the future would not be as bright. Thank you.

Jason Becker

Chairman America in Bloom®

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Street Banners are up !   4/21/2008

BY CHRIS FOUGHT

LIGONIER - A drive through downtown Ligonier will reveal our all new roadside banners. The funds were secured last fall through a grant from the Noble County Community Foundation and installed last week by Jerry Donley, President of the Future Ligonier Alliance.

Featuring our new theme "Legends of Ligonier", they also have a provision for drop tags which will showcase the various festivals and events that take place in Ligonier.

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Our second mural is complete!   4/19/2008

BY CHRIS FOUGHT

LIGONIER - The face of downtown Ligonier continues to improve, with the addition of Ligonier's second outdoor wall mural. Located at the rear of Dr. Richard and Peter Brown's Dental office, (Across from the Ligonier Fire Department) the scene depicts a visual history of Ligonier dentistry. Dentists from the past and present are honored with plaques indicating their years of service to the Ligonier community. These plaques surround an image of a 19th century waiting room which contrasts with a present day image.

This is the second of a series of murals planned for downtown Ligonier, thanks to the efforts of the Future Ligonier Alliance, a community-improvement group. Grants have been secured and at least four more murals will be placed by the end of 2008.

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Ligonier Riverwalk Project Begins!   12/08/2007

BY CHRIS FOUGHT

LIGONIER - One of the most valuable assets in downtown Ligonier, the Elkhart River, will soon see some drastic improvements thanks to the efforts of the Future Ligonier Alliance and Operation Foundation. Ligonier's first riverwalk will consist of a one mile walking path connecting Woodlawn Park at Bridge Street to the future site of Discovery Express in downtown Ligonier. The walkway will be constructed by various organizations who have agreed to adopt 500 feet each, and will take advantage of beautiful scenic views as well as open green space on the former Essex Wire property. Volunteer efforts are being coordinated by Karen LeMire, of Volunteer Connections in Noble County. If you are interested in helping with this project, please visit the Volunteer Connections Website or call Karen at 1-800-VOLUNTEER.

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Our first mural is complete!   10/02/2007

BY BOB BUTTGEN

LIGONIER - The face of downtown Ligonier continues to improve, thanks to the artistic talent of Robert Hudson from Winona Lake. Hudson is painting this large mural on the side of the building at the north end of downtown Ligonier. The scene depicts Ligonier as it may have appeared when it was founded in 1835 by Isaac Cavin. The mural is the first of several planned for downtown Ligonier, thanks to the efforts of the Future Ligonier Alliance, a community-improvement group. Grants have been secured and at least five more murals will be placed by the spring of 2008.

 

Several more on the way- Stay Tuned!