KENSAL (AP) - Children and adults in this town of about 150 have joined forces to enhance the appearance of their community.

Linda Ableidinger, after seeing the flowers on First Avenue in Jamestown, decided flower baskets would look nice on Main Street in Kensal as well.

"Everybody thinks Kensal is such a pretty little town, and we were thinking of ways to expand on that," Ableidinger said.

She took her plan to buy eight flower baskets to the town board this spring.

"Before they could even vote on it, the elevator offered to pay for two of them," Ableidinger said.

Ableidinger said response to the project from young and old has been unbelievable. Kensal now has 20 flower baskets, some flower barrels and two new flower gardens, planted by volunteers.

"I've never started any project that's so easy to do, because people are calling me," she said.

She said the town board has been fully behind the project.

Even out-of-towners are contributing to the flower baskets. A couple from Jamestown was eating in the cafe one day, saw the flower baskets and contributed for one. Another couple - former Kensal residents - paid for a basket in memory of a family member.

"We have several of them that are in memory of someone," Ableidinger said.

Although the baskets don't have memorial plaques, she said the donors know which ones are their baskets.

Dakota Central donated money for the hanging brackets, and the township board provided a cart and water tank. Elmer Schweigert was hired through Experience Works to water the flowers, a job he takes seriously.

"He hasn't missed a day," Ableidinger said, except for the day after the town received 3 inches of rain.

Schweigert, who is retired, said he took the job because the mayor asked him to and, "It's something to do."

Even the town's children got behind the project. The Kensal Can Club is a group of five young children who travel around town on their bikes and riding in Ableidinger's golf cart, picking up cans which they take to the recycling center in Jamestown. In the club's four-year history, members used the money for fun adventures, like a day at Bismarck's water park. But this year, Ableidinger said they readily agreed to donate their can money to the flower project instead of spending it on themselves.

"Can you imagine, I didn't even have to talk them into it," she said.

Baylee Stoppleworth, 8, said she joined in the effort "because it was fun," and Abbey Partlow, 7, said the flower baskets are pretty.

Ableidinger said the club members do occasionally dip into the money for ice cream.

The flower project already has money in the bank to pay for eight baskets next year, and they have more dreams for the future. One idea is a group to help older residents with yard work or removal of dead trees.

"It's been a very positive thing for the town," Ableidinger said.