Kim and Jake Stiles and Steve Ewing participate in the 30th Annual Ottawa River Clean Up Saturday morning.
Precious Grundy | The Lima News
LIMA — Lima community members gathered Saturday to participate in the annual Ottawa River Cleanup that just happened to fall on Earth Day. Those interested were able to spend the morning gathering leftover trash located around the river that winds throughout the City of Lima.
City of Lima Neighborhood Specialist Sydni Winkler weighed in on this year’s event.
“It was the 30th annual Ottawa River Cleanup,” said Winkler. “We have people come and register. They got t-shirts, trash grabbers, maps and were sent out to clean up a part of the river.”
The event was held from 9 a.m. to noon. Community members were invited to celebrate with an after-party at Hoover Park. Winkler said the day was a success with participants finding a lot of trash, water bottles and even an old tire.
“Whatever they find, they’ll pick up, come back and drop them off in a dumpster from Rumpke,” said Winkler. “We have Girls and Boy Scouts come and bring a pretty big crowd with them. And then a couple of other big groups, a lot of people who are registered pre-registering … which was fun to see. There were quite a few families. And then there were some bigger groups. So it’s kind of like a mix.”
Some residents came with a group while others decided to walk in and join the occasion.
“We had some people kind of strolling by themselves, get registered, grab their T-shirts and go out to the river,” said Winkler. “I appreciate all the volunteers who took the time to come and help us out this day. One of my favorite parts is seeing everybody come out and help the community.”
Organizations throughout the county partnered to support the event.
“I just thank you for all the support,” Allen Soil and Water Conservation District Stormwater Coordinator Lydia Archambo. “It’s a really fun event community service. Glad people came out to have fun.”
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
