Steve Wills, member of the Pendleton Parks and Recreation Board as well as Friends of Falls Park, dumps debris into a truck as he helps during the Friends’ Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Julie Mitchell, part-time gardener with the Pendleton Parks Department, takes measurements as volunteers prepare to install plantings outside the Community Building on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Kim Barnhart, wife of former Falls Park Superintendent Ron Barnhart, rakes up sticks as one of about 20 volunteers who came out for the Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Pendleton Heights juniors Nate Walls, Kate Cunningham and Alex Heineman walk the trails in Falls Park cleaning up trash and debris during the Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Pendleton Heights junior Kate Cunningham picks up litter along a trail in Falls Park during the Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Pendleton Heights junior Alex Heineman uses a stick to fish a plastic bag out of a hard-to-reach area while helping clean trails as part of the Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Pendleton Heights juniors Nate Walls, Kate Cunningham and Alex Heineman located a partially buried car bumper along the side of a trail in Falls Park, which they said would be picked up later along with other larger items they were finding and placing along the trail edge.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
Melanie Cookman helps clean up Falls Park at the northeast corner of Pendleton Avenue and Water Street during Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday.
Scott Slade | The Times-Post
More than 20 volunteers showed up for the recent Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up on Saturday, April 6. They are (from left, front row) Karyn Ledbetter, Valerie Wendling, Kate Cunningham, Penny Creger, Melanie Cookman, Sheree Belt, Stephanie Buck, Julie Mitchell, Jo Scott and Kim Barnhart; (back row) Alex Heineman, Dick Creger, Mike Ott, Nate Walls, Steve Wills, George Gasparovic, Sally Childress and Ron Barnhart. Not picturred: Dick Butler, Sandi Butler, Beth DuCiaome, Sean DuCiaome and Joe Noel.
Submitted
PENDLETON — Volunteers were scattered around Falls Park in Pendleton on Saturday, April 6, planting shrubs, cleaning flower beds and picking up litter during the Friends of Falls Park Spring Spruce Up.
“The goal is to complete a few projects,” organizer Joe Noel said. “We’re preparing for the spring season.”
Twenty-three people came out to help.
Standing next to the park’s Community Building, Noel pointed out one of the main projects of the day — adding a row of shrubs along a relatively new patio area.
“We’re enhancing the area with plantings,” Noel said.
Elsewhere in the park, another handful of volunteers worked at Charlene’s Corner — the area at the northeast corner of Pendleton Avenue and Water Street. The corner is named after the late Charlene Daugherty, who was an ardent park supporter and contributor.
Volunteers were raking, sweeping and scooping up debris, and otherwise tidying up.
Melanie Cookman, a Friends member and Anderson resident, was there.
She said she came out for many reasons: “To help beautify the town, have pride in the town, meet new friends.”
She said her mother was from Pendleton and her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters live in town.
“I just love Pendleton — it’s a nice town. I like the community involvement,” Cookman said.
A handful of volunteers walked the trails through the woods north of Fall Creek, as well as other areas, picking up litter and pulling larger pieces of trash out of the woods and placing it along the path for later pickup.
Pendleton Heights High School juniors Kate Cunningham, Alex Heineman and Nate Walls were there, helping clean up the trails to earn volunteer hours for National Honor Society.
Plus, “it’s a nice day to be on the trails,” Cunningham said.
They said they were finding a lot of Styrofoam and plastic drink cups, as well as larger metal items, including a car bumper.