Residents of Hamburg gathered together on Saturday, Sept. 27 for the third Keep Hamburg Beautiful, a community-wide effort to clean up the town’s streets, parks and lots.
Starting at 9 a.m., volunteers gathered at the Tot Lot on Primrose Alley to suit up with orange vests, gloves, trash bags and Walkie-Talkies.
Our Town Foundation Design Committee members Melanie Geiger and Sandy Caston supervised the event.
“This is the third year, but it’s the first year we are doing it in the spring and fall,” said Geiger. “The town isn’t that dirty, but the idea is to keep it that way.”
Saturday’s cleanup brought 47 volunteers, the most the event has seen. Among the volunteers were Boy Scouts, church members and community residents who wanted to offer a helping a hand.
Volunteers were split into teams and designated to go to one of six mapped sections of the town: the trailhead, north of State Street, the west and east sections of Pine Street, Grand Street, and near the Dollar Store (Grassy Hill). To add some fun, teams picked their own members and team names.
The effort was especially focused on cleanup around Fourth and Pine Streets, where the Christmas tree and town clock are located, and the parking lot at Third and Grant Streets.
“We recently received a grant to fix up the parking lot,” said Geiger. “We want to get it cleaned up as best as possible.”
While teams were out weeding and picking up trash, Geiger and Caston stayed behind to prepare for a cookout to follow the cleanup.
“We want to reward all their hard work and dedication to the community,” said Geiger.
Keep Hamburg Beautiful has been a successful effort of the Our Town Foundation to preserve the community and history of the town. The event is expected to continue in the spring and fall of each year, hopefully attracting growing numbers of volunteers.