Annual River and Road Cleanup Saturday

The 25th Annual Al Haynes Memorial

River & Road Clean Up

With BBQ Celebration to Follow – Saturday, 9/17

When Al Haynes had the idea 25 years ago to hold a River clean up, he knew the community would respond and help – and they did. The basic pattern of involving students, families and individuals, keeping recyclables separate from trash, weighing the materials, and enlisting the support of the SLV Water District and the County to haul the materials to the dump, and then celebrating at a BBQ at Highlands Park was established. Al was the Watershed Analyst for the Water District, and applied for grant money to support the event the first year. Nancy Macy helped out, learned the process, and took over coordination of the event under the auspices of the Valley Women's Club the second year.

Each year has been an adventure, and many VWC members became annual volunteers, helping staff the tables, helping at the BBQ, or working all day picking up trash. And hundreds of community members came to help, bringing in over 95,000 pounds of junk over the years. Some years there were a dozen appliances hauled in, another year there was a remarkable collection of electronic discards – then there was the year of the car parts, including an entire VW bug hauled from the River north of Boulder Creek and a dozen tires hauled from along a creek in Felton. Of course an entire house could have been furnished with chairs, beds, couches and other broken, dirty discards, and a wide variety of sports equipment has been hauled in… And cigarette butts, always cigarette butts.

So, especially this year, your help is needed—to honor Al (who passed away last December), to pick up trash, to celebrate our River and its watershed. The clean up will take place on Saturday, September 17th from 9 am to 3 pm. Following the Clean Up, from 3:30 to 5, the free-for-participants BBQ celebration will take place at Highlands Park down on the deck by the playground. We'll have a special gift for ALL volunteers, prizes for "extra effort," awards, and memories to share and honors to give.

You can help in many ways –

• Staff the sign-in tables (8:45-12 or 11:45 to 3) in Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond or Felton (Felton afternoon only)
• Help come up with prizes for the "extra effort" awards
• Help with the BBQ – planning, bringing salads or desserts, cooking, set-up, clean-up
• Getting the word out

CALL OR EMAIL NOW TO LET US KNOW YOU CAN PLAN TO HELP! Call Nancy at 345-1555, or Email. Download the flyer.