WESTFIELD – The flowers on the Great River Bridge are a welcome sight to residents and visitors alike.
Cascading blooms have decorated the bridges for many years, but few people know who is responsible for this floral tradition.
Westfield on Weekends (WOW), the Beveridge Family Foundation and the city have partnered to keep the bridge flowers beautifying the area.
Ward Caswell, president of the Beveridge Family Foundation, said it was important to him, his family and the Foundation, which supports Stanley Park which was founded by Frank Stanley Beveridge.
“The Beveridge Family Foundation is pleased to continue to provide funding for the flowers on the bridge in and out of Westfield,” Caswell said. “It was these flowers that led Frank Stanley Beveridge to choose Westfield for Stanley Home Products and his family.”
WOW President Amber Danahey said she and the WOW board members are happy to help keep the tradition alive.
“We have 40 flowers this year that will be planted this week,” said Danahey. “The Department of Public Works will take down the flower baskets and we will plant them and they will return them to the bridge.”
Danahey said the Hannoush family provided coco liners for the baskets that hang from handrails on the twin bridges.
The city takes care of watering throughout the summer to keep the flowers blooming, however flowers were selected that will tolerate the hot days of summer and were purchased locally.
“We chose hardy plants that will tolerate heat and some drought, such as begonias,” Danahey said, adding that Westfield Technical Academy Horticulture Instructor Nate Sperry helped with plant selection.
“It’s a community effort,” said Danahey.
The Beveridge Foundation has supported the Bridge Flowers since the bridge renovation was completed in 2011. The funding is held by the WOW, a nonprofit which oversees the project each year with the assistance of the City of Westfield.
