America in Bloom judges will check out the community on Thursday and Friday as Bluffton enters its second year in the national competition, according to Susie Stratton.

In 2017 Bluffton was winner of the America in Bloom Outstanding Achievement Award in the Urban Forestry Award. Bluffton also received a special mention recognizing the village floral displays.

It will be a busy two days for judges. Here’s a brief overview of their itinerary.

Thursday
Judges will have a village introduction. They will meet with village employees, garden of the month winners, chamber board members and youth contest winners.

Next, they will tour Bluffton Slaw Cutter and the glove factory, which will eventually become the new Et Cetera Shop. 

Following that is a tour of Bluffton University and its nature preserve, Sommer Center, university tree tour and Lion and Lamb Center.

They will also visit downtown shops and meet village and university officials.

Friday
Judges will visit a Bluffton farm, community gardens, public library, Swiss homestead, village arboretum, pathway and the village park.

They will also meet members of the Bluffton tree commission, zoning and appeals board, Transition Bluffton members and Bluffton cultural affairs board.

America in Bloom judges score the communities in various categories, including:
• overall impression
• environmental awareness
• heritage preservation
• urban forestry
• landscaped areas
• floral displays

Additionally, judges review community involvement across municipal, residential, and commercial sectors.

America in Bloom sends specially trained judges to visit participating communities. In addition, each community receives a detailed evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements.

To date, more than 250 communities from 45 states have participated in the program and more than 22 million people have been touched by it. Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations, and recognized neighborhoods of large cities.