St. Martinville cleanest city in the district!

Photo: Gathering for coffee and sweets after district judging in the annual Cleanest City Contest are (from left) St. Martinville Garden Club President Claudette Bonin, Cleanest City Contest Chairman Linda Brashier, St. Martinville Mayor Thomas Nelson and contest judges Brenda Gautreaux, Kayla Rhodes and Janet Lasseigne, from the Thibodeaux Garden Club.

It’s two in a row!
For the second year, St. Martinville has placed first in the Cleanest City Contest for District 3 and automatically becomes part of the statewide contest on April 17.
The contest is a collaborative effort between the City of St. Martinville and the St. Martinville Garden Club. Glenda Kately Sonnier, Parks and Recreation director, and Susan Carpenter, Garden Club chairman of the contest, have been working tirelessly for the past few weeks, along with city workers, garden club members and many local volunteers to cut grass, plant flowers, pick up trash, paint sidewalks and many other beautification projects.
The contest is sponsored annually by the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc.
Judging took place on March 19. The judging panel was comprised of members of the Thibodeaux Garden Club Brenda Gautreaux, Kayla Rhodes and Janet Lasseigne, who were accompanied by Linda Brashier, Cleanest City Contest director from Houma.
Mayor Thomas Nelson says he was very proud when he learned of the news.
“Winning this contest two years in a row is a real honor and shows how hard-working St. Martinville people are and how proud they are of their community,” Nelson said.
He asks that everyone pitch in one more time for the state contest.
St. Martinville will be competing in Category F of District III along with the cities of Rayne, Covington, Winnsfield and Tallulah.
“I really would like to win state,” said Kately Sonnier. “Rayne is hard to beat but if we can come together as a community, we will win state cleanest city in our district!”
The judges ride a route pre-determined by the City and the Garden Club, which includes certain criteria chosen by the state committee, a litter-free environment, as well as planted and manicured residential and business areas. The route includes the nursing home, residential areas and the business district, entrances to the city, the cemetery, the fire station, new business development, parks and the library.
Extra points are awarded for the ecology flag and the blue star memorial marker, located in front the parish government offices, a symbol of the National Federation of Garden Clubs honoring the men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II.
Trash Bash was held on March 14 and was sponsored by the St. Martinville Garden Club and the City of St. Martinville. Along with representatives of local organizations, students representing St. Martinville Primary, Middle and Senior High Schools, Trinity Catholic, Parks Middle School and South Louisiana Community College – Evangeline campus spent the day planting, placing no dumping decals on drains, and picking up trash along the route.
In 1958, the Louisiana Garden Club Federation was first among members of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. to sponsor a state wide “Cleanest City Contest.” The aim of the contest is to instill civic pride in the individual citizens and thus, improve the appearance of towns and cities. Each year competition has become stronger, and the cities and towns have achieved higher and higher standards of cleanliness. We point with pride to the many participating communities through the years – and to the ever-increasing number who work year round to keep their communities clean and beautiful.
According to Sonnier, “We`re asking all residents to help us prepare for the state contest by keeping their lawns and vacant lots mowed and sprucing up their properties by planting flowers, picking up trash and cleaning cluttered porches and carports. It is a time to instill pride in our city!”