PATTEN and ISLAND FALLS, Maine — The Main Street flower project for Patten and Island Falls has been canceled for this year in light of COVID-19 precautions.
The towns made the decision due to the inability to guarantee social distancing for the National Honor Society students from Katahdin and Southern Aroostook high schools who do the planting.
Green Valley Association (GVA) consumers water the flower barrels Monday through Friday from Memorial Day through September. GVA will also be unable to guarantee social distancing when consumers would be doing the daily watering.
The personal well-being of the GVA consumers is of paramount importance as is the well-being of the NHS students who donate their time to plant the barrels, officials said.
The flower project began eight years ago in Patten and two years ago in Island Falls, with the colorful flower barrels placed along Main Street of each town and often beneath the U.S. flags that line those streets. Local businesses and individuals have purchased the barrels, and each year pay for the flowers that are planted.
Local citizens have greatly appreciated the work that GVA consumers and workers do to maintain the barrels, as the flowers enhance the appearance of each community.
Organizers of the work in each town, including Rae Bates, Andrea Edwards, Rowena Harvey, and Emily Hosford, thanked those whose financial support have made the project happen each year.
GVA will be reaching out to those donors in the spring of 2021 to ask for their support once again.
