Get ready to tidy up the town

Saturday, October 22, promises to be a busy day in Cathlamet with an Autism Walk in the morning, and a Halloween Carnival at St. James Family Center in the afternoon, but with all that fun, chores must get done as well.

Instead of staying home to tackle that yard work, or mop those floors, consider inviting your friends, family, and neighbors to team up on various projects around the community with this fall’s Tidy Up the Town.

“It’s a good idea for us to do little projects around the community,” Organizer Suzanne Holmes said. “When we started it, we were actually picking weeds out of the sidewalk on Main Street.”

The event started about five years ago, but was paused for covid-19. Since then, volunteers have cleaned up Erickson Park, the courthouse grounds, and the museum and the library in the past, and recently they beat back the blackberry bushes that line the walking path at the waterfront.

“I always like Tidy Up the Town,” Holmes said. “I like the idea of communities coming together. It is National Make a Difference Day. It’s not just something we cooked up. It’s carrying on a tradition, all over the United States, actually all over the world, it’s the biggest day of service. There’s nothing that makes me happier than to see people working together to improve their community better little bit by little bit.”

This year, Holmes is hoping to hear from people with suggestions for different common areas around the community that need some attention.

“We’re not looking for projects that need people up on ladders or using power equipment,” she said. “We’re looking for things that anybody can do. Kids, families, and us older folks can still do.”

For anyone who wants to get involved but isn’t able to do physical labor, organizers still want to hear from you. Maybe they can find a more accommodating activity or donations are always welcome. One year, someone donated bark, which was used around the beds at the museum and the library. Someone else donated bottles of water, which Holmes delivered to workers around town. And one time, someone brought donuts. The donuts were a hit.

Little bits make a big difference,” Holmes said. “We want to make our best impression for our visitors who start coming in. Having traveled a lot and been to marina based communities, I just saw genuine efforts. And what the Wahkiakum Blooms have done, it’s just great, they have really brought genuine color. It just looks so nice. You look to see what the different arrangements are going to be and where the pots are. There’s lots of little things being done by groups of people, and Tidy Up the Town is just one more opportunity to do that.”

An opportunity for the rest of us.

Tidy Up the Town will take place on October 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. All volunteers, including families, students, clubs, and work teams, should meet at the Cathlamet Pioneer Center for a group photo at 9 a.m. and collect a work assignment. Bring gloves, shovels, buckets, hoes, wheelbarrows, clippers, or weed eaters.

For more information contact Suzanne Holmes at 360-430-3771 or billsueholmes@msn.com or April Petersen at 971-404-6184 or pcacathlamet@gmail.com.