Niverville was the host community for the 20th Manitoba Communities in Bloom conference held last weekend. The day brought Communities in Bloom members from across Manitoba together for networking, seminars and a chance to share ideas about beautification, the environment and community projects. The day wrapped up with the annual awards presentation. Four communities receive Bloom ratings Four communities took part in the competitive portion of the 2026 Manitoba Communities in Bloom program. Carman, Portage la Prairie and St. Jean each received five Blooms, while Warren received four Blooms. The communities were recognized during the awards presentation, with representatives accepting their awards. Manitoba Communities in Bloom judges this year were Hugh Skinner, Lori Carlson-Judson and Pam McPharlane. Niverville recognized for community projects Niverville participated as a non-evaluated community this year while serving as the host town. Manitoba Communities in Bloom President Shirley Kalyniuk thanked Niverville for hosting the conference and presented the town committee with a gift basket. She said the Niverville committee did an outstanding job preparing the community for the event. “It is fantastic. It's awesome. It's beautiful. The Niverville Committee has done a super-duper job.” Kalyniuk said one of the highlights for her was seeing everyone together, smiling, networking and building friendships. Rain forced the cancellation of a planned community tour, but she said there was plenty to enjoy throughout the day. The awards also recognized the work being done in communities across Manitoba. Kalyniuk said the goal is not simply to reach a certain Bloom rating, but to keep looking for ways to improve. “Once you get to five blooms, do you stop or do you continue working and striving for more and better and better, which I think is what we all try to do.” Related stories: Carman Dufferin Communities in Bloom 2026 welcomes judges St. Jean hoping to build on five-bloom success with another year of community improvements More than flowers Kalyniuk said Communities in Bloom is about much more than planting flowers. She said the program also encourages communities to consider environmental projects, historic sites, and ways to preserve important parts of their communities. “It's the environment. It's historic sites that we need to preserve, and we should preserve because once they're lost, they're lost and you never see them again.” She said the annual conference gives communities a chance to see what others are doing, learn from one another and return home with new ideas. The 2026 conference ended with congratulations to all seven participating communities and a special thank-you to the Town of Niverville and its Communities in Bloom committee for hosting the event.