Aberdeen’s Bloom Team seeks more volunteers

The group devotes a couple of days a month during warmer months to improving the area’s appearance

By Terri Harber • March 8, 2017 10:00 pm
A hanging flower basket and ground pots at the corner of Wishkah and South F streets in Aberdeen. Other baskets are visible the background in this photographic view that points west. The Bloom Team is looking for volunteers to help with upkeep of the plantings along Wishkah and Heron streets as well as conduct other tasks to keep the area looking tidy. (ABERDEEN BEAUTIFICATION PHOTO)
A hanging flower basket and ground pots at the corner of Wishkah and South F streets in Aberdeen. Other baskets are visible the background in this photographic view that points west. The Bloom Team is looking for volunteers to help with upkeep of the plantings along Wishkah and Heron streets as well as conduct other tasks to keep the area looking tidy. (ABERDEEN BEAUTIFICATION PHOTO)

Members of the Bloom Team — the volunteers who tend the huge hanging flower baskets in downtown Aberdeen — need more volunteers to help with their seasonal tasks. 

The team provides hands-on care for containers that will be filled with colorful flowers. They also pickup trash and work in other ways to improve the look of the area.

Group leaders plan this year to maintain flowers in up to 160 hanging baskets and more than 100 ground pots situated along Heron and Wishkah streets between Olympic Gateway Center Mall and Alder Street. Volunteers are asked to devote time to this effort on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from May to October.

“It would be nice to have help on a regular basis,” said Bette Worth, who leads the beautification effort with Bobbi McCracken. Both are on the Aberdeen Beautification Committee that’s part of the Aberdeen Revitalization Movement, an organization that focuses on fostering interest in the city as an exciting place to live, work and spend money.

They could use about two dozen more volunteers this year for the mid-year work downtown, Worth said.

Team members also beautify the same area of the city for the holidays by decorating for the season.

Harbor Clean-Up Day will occur on Saturday, May 6. The team plays a significant role in this annual citywide effort that’s occurring shortly before the group starts its downtown tasks this year.

Maintenance and supplies for the work are paid for through grants and donations.

To volunteer with the Bloom Team, email Worth at bteworth@gmail.com. Contact Aberdeen Parks Department to donate money for these efforts by calling (360) 537-3229.