Blooming Tradition

Residents and visitors find much to admire in Red Wing, but the single amenity that usually is the first thing to catch their eye is the Pretty Red Wing Flower Baskets.

The Red Wing flower baskets were born more than 20 years ago after Phil Revoir, a Noontime Kiwanis member at the time, returned from a trip to Canada where he saw something similar and then persuaded the club and the city to cooperate on the project.

The first flower baskets went up in 1990 in La Grange Park, which is adjacent to Riverfront Centre on Main Street. The project began with a dozen baskets.

In 2011, there were about 220 filled, according to Kiwanis member Rich Lyon, who coordinates with Bill Rooney of Public Works.

Sargent's Nursery and Hallstrom Florist experimented over the years before they came up with the colorful combination of Supertunia, petunias, million bells and ivy geranium. Both nurseries start working on the next year's baskets in November. By mid-May the flower baskets are already constructed and hung through downtown Red Wing.

Tags: community guide, good to know