Geneva Neighborhood Cleanup & Picnic

The clean-up projects seemed to be a big success. There were so many projects spread across so many locations that it was difficult to get an idea of how many people showed up. I liked the fact that they had sign up sheets for each of the projects. Next time it may be valuable to have a captain at each site with a two-way radio to communicate status and other needs for tools, manpower, etc.

As advertised, the dumpsters were there and we filled them full. It seemed like there were quite a few private trucks and trailers that also made trips.

Here are a few examples of the types of projects being carried out:

1. Removed sod from around the base of several dozen young trees. Apparently the weed eaters were not being very kind to the bark.
2. Cleaned up the backyard of an elderly woman in the neighborhood.
3. Removed trees and suckers from overgrown area of the road. This overgrowth was making it difficult for drivers to see oncoming traffic.

Afterward, there was a picnic in the park. They had plenty of hotdogs and they were not burnt! :) Thanks to many of the city officials who participated in this activity and were represented there at the lunch. Chris Tobler was there (of course) who earlier ran the sign-in booth and managed the checkin/out of tools. Karen McCandless was there cooking hotdogs. Joyce Johnson was there as well along with many others. The hotdogs, chips, pops and cookies were great.

One of the highlights of the day, especially for kids, had to be the fire truck. I've seen this previously and it is so much fun to watch. Basically they pull a big fire truck out into the middle of the park and turn on the hose. Water shoots up into the air (I think they had it coming out of the extended ladder). Then kids come running from all directions to enjoy the experience. It was a sight to see.