NORWICH – The Norwich Garden Club and Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) are pleased to announce a new initiative, 'Bring the Bloom to Broad.'

While the two organizations have collaborated on the 68 hanging flower baskets on Broad Street and American Avenue for over 20 years, they are adding a new twist this year. Now you can be part of bringing beauty to Downtown Norwich, too.

Dana Wall, Director of the Norwich BID, says that “Bring the Bloom to Broad is a great example of an initiative for downtown Norwich that is made stronger by community partnerships.”

This year, baskets are available for sponsorship. You can sponsor a basket in honor or memory of an individual, on behalf of your business or organization, or just because.

Sponsorships contribute the cost of the flower baskets on Broad Street and American Avenue, and provide a fun way for people to share in civic beautification and pride in Norwich.

To sponsor a basket, fill out the form linked at www.norwichbid.com/news, and drop off or mail a $43 check to the BID at 1 City Plaza, Norwich, NY 13815. We will send you an electronic thank-you, and an acknowledgement card that you can use to honor or memorialize someone. We will take sponsorships until May 16, 2026, and will publicly recognize sponsorships throughout the season.

Hanging flower baskets have brightened the Downtown Norwich for many years.

The Norwich Garden Club started the project in the 1970s. In the early days of the project, members planted the baskets (called buckets at the time) and manually hung them on lamp posts downtown. Jane Coddington, Norwich Garden Club President explained, “In addition to preparing the flower buckets, they also climbed ladders to tend the flowers throughout the season.

The club funded the ‘buckets’ through plant sales and an ‘Adopt-a-Bucket’ initiative, which began in 1980.” The new Bring the Bloom to Broad project is inspired by this bit of Norwich Garden Club history.

Norwich Garden Club was organized in 1932 and is in its 94th year. The club has a long history of beautification projects in Norwich. Members currently maintain a small memorial rose garden at the back of the library property, the crescent flower garden in Gordon Park, and the planting area near the corner of Broad Street and American Avenue.

The Norwich Business Improvement District is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1982 as one of the first BIDs in New York State. Funded by an annual assessment fee paid by all District members (property owners), the BID’s mission is “to make Downtown Norwich a thriving center of commerce by supporting its members and businesses, enhancing public spaces, and promoting cultural events to create a vibrant, welcoming community.”

- Information from the Norwich Business Improvement District