The Town of Ogema is basking in the national spotlight after capturing the Sustainable Development Award at the national edition of the Communities in Bloom competition.

The town had been entered at the national level for its population category in Communities in Bloom, and unbeknownst to town representatives, they were nominated by their judges for this national award, a new category which is open to all population sizes.

"There was screaming, jumping up and down and a few tears," said town councillor Carol Peterson, who had been in Saskatoon all week for the seminars and tours put on by the Communities in Bloom organization.

"I was surprised, but at the same time I wasn't," added Peterson, noting Ogema had been profiled recently in the provincial ACRE report on rural economic development as an example of what rural towns can do.

The judges had been told about this profile, "so without even realizing it, we were putting in the right things (for this award)," said Peterson.

She had been joined at the awards ceremonies by fellow CIB committee members Jean Porritt, Perry Tumback and Lucianne McKague. Mayor Wayne Myren was unable to attend, as he was at another convention in Calgary that weekend.

In the Blooms competition itself, Ogema received four blooms out of a possible five, with a mark of 79.1 per cent. The category was won by Hamiota, Man.

Peterson said the committee got a copy of the judges' scoring grid, so they will have an idea of exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are. She said they did the same thing after they won the provincial level for their population category, and worked on the areas the judges said were lacking.

For the Canada Lands Company Sustainable Development Award, the grassroots efforts of the community to make plans and address their needs for economic development went a long ways towards earning them this honour.

"Critical to our success is the way the community worked together. We met in 2002 to define a vision for growth, and the vision was revisited again. The community realized there were needs and we met them," said Peterson, pointing out they set up a fitness centre, built a motel, made improvements at the arena, and helped Big Sky farms establish a major hog operation near the town.

The judges noted that Ogema is a "small town that looks after its citizens with the amenities of a small city," said Peterson.

In the town, volunteer efforts also set up and restored a train station identical to the one that used to serve Ogema, and the railway track running through the area was bought and is operated now by the short-line rail company Red Coat Road and Rail.

There is also a 28-building historical village with thousands of artifacts, for which no public money has ever been used.

The latest venture to come to Ogema is a company that is restoring and refurbishing grain hopper cars back to the new standards for quality.

Explaining the criteria behind this national award, CIB judge Marc Lalonde explained that the judges "adapted our entire evaluation grid to acknowledge aspects that consider and promote sustainable community development. While these changes certainly raise the bar for participants we are confident that all Canadian participants are up for the challenge."

He also said municipalities are understanding more and more the importance of sustainable development, and affects every decision they make with social, economic and environmental considerations.

Peterson said there are still challenges for the town to work on, noting for example Ogema still doesn't have high-speed Internet. She said they could've had a business tenant set up for a six-month period in their new motel, but was unable to because there is no high-speed Internet available.

With the success Ogema has experienced in growth and development, there have been documentaries filmed about their efforts, and Mayor Myren has been invited to speak to many municipalities about how they are making their town economically sustainable.

Peterson said she and the mayor will be meeting with a public relations consultant to try and get the most mileage possible from this national award.

In the meantime, the marble trophy, made by the same makers as the Juno Awards, will be put on display in the town hall in a special case.