Kalamazoo in Bloom celebrates 30 years in 2014. To honor this occasion, Kalamazoo in Bloom is coordinating a late summer KalamaZOO Hop in collaboration with six Kalamazoo neighborhoods, Kalamazoo County Parks & Recreation Department, Portage, Comstock and several other organizations to create a series of activities and attractions open to the public. As part of Kalamazoo in Bloom’s annual plantings, topiaries in the shape of animals are being purchased together with flowers for beds throughout Kalamazoo, Comstock and Portage, as well as in each of the six collaborating City of Kalamazoo neighborhoods. The collaboration with the neighborhoods also involves a special art project in which a group of neighborhood youth, under the instruction of a neighborhood artist, will create meaningful pieces of public art that will be on display in Bronson Park for one week, then permanently installed in the respective neighborhoods. One of Kalamazoo in Bloom’s purposes is to engage the community in the creative process of placemaking, as well as the enjoyment of those places created, by inviting participation from all sectors of the diverse communities served. Kalamazoo in Bloom is honored to be collaborating with many partners on the KalamaZOO Hop project that, like Kalamazoo in Bloom, have a passion for creating vibrant communities and enhancing quality of life for residents.

www.kalamazooinbloom.org