First Place 1 to 4 winner Holt Troutman
On July 19th, 2025, the Township of Laurentian Valley hosted its 9th Annual Junior Gardeners Contest at Stafford Park, as part of the much-loved Party in the Park event.
From May 26 to June 13, youth aged 16 and under picked up a plant from Sunset Nursery to grow and care for over the summer months. This year, 120 youth registered, and 75 entries were submitted—each one a vibrant reminder of the Township’s tagline: “Grow with Us.”
A heartfelt thank you to Alastair Hugli of Sunset Nursery Garden Centre & Greenhouse for generously donating his time to judge the entries. Your support helps keep this growing tradition thriving!
The 2025 Junior Gardener winners include:
Ages 1 to 4
1st Place Holt Troutman (Petunia Flower) 2nd Place Blake Robinson (Purple Pepper Plant) 3rd Place Theodore Crigger (Marigold Flower) 4th Place Sterling Gray (Cherry Bomb Pepper Plant)
Ages 5 to 7
1st Place Hunter Troutman (Petunia Flower) 2nd Place Brogan Vanner (Tomato Plant) 3rd Place Cohen Weckworth (Zinnia Flower) 4th Place Gunner Bilton (Zinnia Pepper Plant)
Ages 8 to 10
1st Place Lilli McCormick (Marigold Flower) 2nd Place Finn Dennique (Zinnia Flower) 3rd Place James Hanna (Zinnia Flower) 4th Place Harrison Maebrae-Mason (Scoth Bonnet Pepper Plant)
Ages 11 to 16
1st Place Robyn Heaps (Tiny Tim Tomato Plant) 2nd Place Makenzie Mitchell (Marigold Flower) 3rd Place Lexi Hiltz (Zinnia Flower) 4th Place Aaryanna Mask (Zinnia Flower).
“Shoutout to all our junior gardeners! Each year, your flowers and veggies get more vibrant and impressive—it’s such a joy to see your hard work bloom” Navada Sargent, Recreation Coordinator.
This year’s event, organized and hosted by the dedicated volunteers of the Stafford Park Recreation Committee, ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was a big success, bringing families together for a full day of fun. Attendees enjoyed a vendor show, face painting RY J’s Adventures bouncy castle, a BBQ lunch, fire department meet and greet, slip and slide as well as touch a truck for kids, raffles and the Junior Gardeners Awards Ceremony.
All proceeds from the event are reinvested back into Stafford Park, helping to enhance the space for future community use. Gratitude goes to the Stafford Park Recreation Committee volunteers who worked tirelessly all day—barbecuing, running the canteen, setting up vendor booths, selling raffle tickets, and handling event logistics from start to finish.
The Township is incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated team committed to recreation in Laurentian Valley.
(Richard Evans)