Since 2002, many stalwart Auburn residents have been unable to resist the pull of roadside garbage pickup, weed pulls and graffiti removal, drawing them into the orbit of Auburn’s annual Clean Sweep.
Focusing on major cleanup and beautification efforts in different parts of the city, volunteer groups have swept over the spring landscape, withdrawing hours later to reveal once graffiti-defaced walls returned to a single color, spruced-up highway on-and-off ramps, and pruning and beautification efforts along the Interurban Trail and Veterans Memorial Park.
Service clubs, social service agencies, faith-based groups, scouting troops, businesses and individuals respond to the city’s call, sweating side-by-side on different projects.
Clean Sweep, Auburn’s annual celebration of Earth Day, is here again from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 26. That’s just around the corner, and you’re invited to volunteer.
But the last day to register is April 23.
As before, volunteer groups will work on general cleanup, landscaping, planting, weeding, litter pickup and other projects at various parks, trails and other public sites around Auburn. Volunteers must register by April 23 either online or by downloading the PDF and sending it in to Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation.
The morning agenda for April 26 is as follows:
• 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Optional welcome breakfast, Auburn Community and Events Center.
• 8:45 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Check-in at project location, emailed in advance.
• 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Volunteers commence project tasks.
According to the Auburn Reporter’s archives from May 18, 2009:
Among the participants was the Auburn Youth Council. It staked out its ground under the F Street overpass, stuck brushes in young people’s hands, gave them gray paint and loosed them on a checkerboard of graffiti.
As Nicki Burkhauser, 13, explained proudly: “We’ll always help our community.”
But what sort of scrubbing doesn’t toss up a few gross bits? This one didn’t disappoint.
“Well, there was this one big heap of gum in that crack,” Burkhauser pointed, adding that he didn’t know if the urban squirrel who left it there planned to return and resume work on the well-masticated blob.
Puffing from climbing up one side of a hill and down the other, one man showed a face bright with sweat under his cap.
“I’m a citizen of Auburn, and I care about the city, and anything that’s going on that I can help out, I do,” said the man. “Today, we’re just weeding out the beds here and picking up the litter.”
“I think this is wonderful,” said another volunteer. “This is my town, and I like to keep it clean. This is what I feel we should be doing, giving back to our community. We pulled weeds, horsetails, and did a lot of cleaning up in general to make it look beautiful.”
One woman “almost 80,” got the biggest kick out of the kids.
“I got here early, and there were all these kids out here, some from West Auburn High School Vocational Ed,” she said. “A lot of times I’m surrounded by geezers like me, and I just love it when I see young people.”
Then as now, the city provides breakfast, instruction sheets for each project site, garbage bags and Dumpsters for debris.
Individuals and groups can either choose to participate in a specific project or they will be assigned to the project that is in need of the most volunteer support. Volunteers may bring tools based on their assignment, a broom for the ceremonial sweep along the sidewalks of Main Street, gardening or work gloves. Participants are encouraged to wear t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, or other clothing that identifies their group.
