A club started by a few girls in kindergarten nearly four years ago continues on as a group of caring citizens that comes together once a month through the summer to do its part.
These young girls saw a need to pick up the park and help stand against littering in our community. This is the No Junk Club, and I joined them for the first time in May.
We all met up at the gazebo in Falls Park on a Saturday afternoon with a small wagon to haul trash bags, gloves, and buckets for use collecting glass and other things we might find.
Before we set off, one of the founding young ladies, Makenzie Wandel, gave us her mission statement and why she started this club in the first place.
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With a heartfelt story and great group of people, I thought it was unbelievable I had never heard of this group before.
As we set out through the park, the problem became more apparent, a problem that typically would go unnoticed.
It was so apparent littering is an issue in our community; the amount of glass, shattered beer bottles and cigarette butts in our park was disheartening, and something more people need to take notice of, especially as the park is being rebuilt after the recent tornado.
It seems that ever since I was a young kid, Falls Park has been the staple of historic Pendleton. Although you can look back through archived photos, such as the one above, and see how much the park has changed, it has always been a staple to Pendleton.
Whether it’s where you go to enjoy your Sno Castle, family reunion, the Fourth of July or something else, it’s a part of our hometown and always will be.
This is why we have to do our best to preserve it and be aware of our impact.
The No Junk Club may help our little park but it does not solve our problems.
As the park is rebuilt, I hope every person living in the Town of Pendleton can be cautious and aware of what the park means to our community, what memories it continues to provide for families, and what the founders of this town saw in the year of 1830 when the land was first platted.
This is our town and a place we should be proud of, and I believe everyone has a responsibility in that.
Jack Hudson is a junior at Pendleton Heights High School, where in addition to his studies he pursues music and broadcasting through the Pendleton Heights Jazz Ensemble and 91.7 WEEM FM. Hudson also participates in student council and other extracurricular activities and plays guitar in his free time.