ROCKLAND — For the fourth consecutive year, the Design Committee of Rockland Main Street, Inc., conducted their Downtown Window Box & Sidewalk Garden Contest. The contest is open to any business in downtown Rockland to encourage business owners and property managers to enhance the overall appearance of the downtown district.

The contest was orchestrated by Design Committee member Linda Richardson over a six-week period, who then led a team of three volunteer judges who made their final selections in July. Volunteer judges were downtown stakeholders Kathy Thyng of Time Out Pub, Brenda Pendleton of Remax/Jaret & Cohn, and Rockland Main Street, Inc. board member Joe Corrado of Joseph Corrado Photography.

Recognitions were awarded as follows: 

Window Box/ Container category: 

1st Place – Ada's Kitchen for their back patio container plantings

2nd Place – FourTWELVE for their perennially spectacular window boxes

Honorable Mention went to Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars for their window boxes

Garden category:

1st Place – Trade Winds Inn for the plantings around their parking lot

2nd Place – Harbor Square Gallery for their back gardens

Honorable Mention — The Farnsworth Art Museum for the fully renovated sidewalk presentation

The following businesses offered discounts for plants and materials as a further incentive for downtown businesses to become engaged in the contest: Flowers By Hoboken, Plants Unlimited, Home Depot, Lowe's.

Rockland Main Street, Inc., is a focused partnership of residents, businesses and local government that enhances and protects the unique sense of place and economic vitality of downtown Rockland, Maine. The local 501[c][3] non-profit organization is fully accredited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main Street Center, an organization committed to historic preservation-based community revitalization, and the Maine Development Foundation's Downtown Center.