Lucien Lake is stepping out of Humboldt's shadows and into the spotlight.
The community's local Communities in Bloom (CIB) committee has entered the area's Water's Edge subdivision into the provincial competition.
This summer marks the first year rural municipalities will be involved in the CIB Saskatchewan program and needless to say, residents of the area are excited to have the opportunity to showcase Lucien Lake's beauty, said committee chairperson Lorraine Forster.
Rural municipalities are extensive in size, which is why the committee decided to narrow the focus and submit the scenic Water's Edge development, dotted with cozy cabins and abundant trees, for judging.
The area, which is in the rural municipality of Three Lakes, will compete alongside other communities of similar population size and will be awarded between one and five blooms depending on how well they do.
Provincial judges are expected to arrive in Lucien Lake towards the end of July and will be looking at specific criteria aside from floral displays, such as tidiness to community involvement.
In the meantime, the area's dedicated committee and tireless volunteer workers are working at putting the finishing touches on Water's Edge's landscape before judging begins.
The committee's kickoff party was held on May 30 at the Prairie's Edge Park, a playground set among the gently rolling hills of the area and a stone's throw from Lucien Lake. From tree and shrub planting to refreshments, it was a celebration Forster said represents not just the area making its debut on the provincial stage, but the coming together of people towards the betterment of a community.
The celebration was a long time coming for Forster, whose idea for the Water's Edge development came after a hellacious trip to Portugal. At that point she decided to make her own recreational opportunities a bit closer to home.
"It's all very exciting," Forster said as summer students she'd hired worked to plant cherry trees around the playground. "This was just a field before," she said, pointing to the playground and surrounding lots.
"We're working with the local Prairie Sky Trails Association to spruce up our walking trails, we're putting in an inland marina and boat launch starting in June and we have summer students planting and taking care of our trees for the next few months," Forster said.
Forster noted that the waterfront development has undergone quite a makeover in the last little while, saying that 32,000 trees have been planted in the last three years, the number only growing.
She also added that if the Water's Edge subdivision is invited into the national competition next summer, the CIB committee would be more than eager to accept the request.
"Oh absolutely," Forster said. "It's a wonderful opportunity for our community to show off what we have but also bring people together. It just betters the area."
Regional municipalities of other provinces have competed at the national level for a few years now, said Andrew Exelby, Saskatchewan CIB coordinator.
Exelby explained that while other provincial communities have undergone amalgamation, Saskatchewan is "a little behind" on that front, which is why the province's CIB office didn't accommodate rural municipalities in provincial - and thus national - judging, until this year.
As mentioned in their news release, Lucien Lake's CIB committee hopes to generate "much excitement, passion and pride for the great outdoors" around the area.
It also unifies people involved in the process.
"Everyone shines," said Forster.
