A Look at Arroyo Grande, Host of the 2016 AIB Symposium
October in Arroyo Grande, the central California town that's currently hosting the 2016 America in Bloom symposium, is quite different than October in Holliston. Friday's walking tour of the downtown area saw balmy temperatures, clear blue skies, and a distinct lack of fall foliage, hoodies, and other autumnal New England staples.
Instead, visiting community representatives were treated to groves of palm trees, local wine, and roaming roosters who are descended from abandoned livestock. The Arroyo Grande in Bloom walking tour took visitors through a recently beautified park constructed around a wild west-era drunk tank, a preserved turn of the century schoolhouse, and California's only swaying bridge.
Community volunteers were eager to showcase their town, recommending specific restaurants and relating anecdotes from Arroyo Grande's past as they guided people from accross the country through their rustic streets. Next year, Hollistonians will have the opportunity to do the same.
While the two towns may appear to have very little in common, residents of Arroyo Grande and Holliston were at least able to bond over their mutual dislike of water bans.
