Two property owners have been recognized for the hard work put into their properties.
Kristen and Kristy Mack were the winners of this year’s Acreage Award, while the Farmstead Acreage Award went to Nick and Nancy Ozero. They accepted the acknowledgment during the MD of Bonnyville’s Rural Beautification Tour on Aug. 23.
The Mack’s have a Koi pond nestled in the back of their property, a feature that blew people away.
“At the old house we had in Glendon we had a little pond,” explained Kristen. “My wife liked it so much that when we moved out here, I knew we were building another one.”
The Mack’s bought the five-acre parcel eight years ago. They had a vision for their yard, and Kristen got to work on the plan for the property.
Wally and Louisa Mack, Kristen’s parents, nominated them for the award.
Louisa said, “We nominated him because he did a lot of work on his yard. He hauled every rock, dug the hole for the pond, and just did a lot of physical work. I thought he deserved a chance to win.”
After lunch, it was time to stop at Nick and Nancy Ozero’s home to present the Farmstead Acreage Award.
According to Nancy, this season wasn’t a good one for her garden, but that didn’t put a damper on the beauty of the local and exotic plants surrounding the Ozero’s home.
“I just wish I had more to show, but winter killed over 80 per cent here,” she explained.
The Ozero’s purchased the land in 1971. Nancy started with a few flower beds around the house, but over the years has continued to expand her garden.
“I just kept adding and adding, and ordering from down east, Vancouver, in the states, and wherever I had the capital. I had stuff coming from everywhere.”
Nancy officially started adding to her plants in 2002, when she was introduced to gardening shows.
“I just wanted to have all of these lovely plants,” she recalled, adding this was when she started ordering exotic plants.
There’s a heated storage on the property to keep some plants in during the colder months. Nancy said a few years ago Nick had to carry about 150 plants into the space.
Her love for gardening shined through whenever anyone on the tour asked questions. She was offering advice on the best ways to keep plants alive.
Along with Nancy’s garden, the Ozero’s are known for their lights display at Christmas. They invited everyone back to enjoy them.
