Community Corner

Looking For Some Immediate Gratification? Here's An Idea ...

So much of what we do sometimes just seems like it's never done. Laundry, our jobs, paying bills. This Saturday, we have an opportunity to do something good for our town and good for ourselves on Clean Up Green Up Day. Read more ...

 

You know the feeling. The minute you finish something up, it seems like it's staring you in the face, reminding you that more is to be done. That's often the case with housework, our jobs, homework, and our other responsibilities.

This coming Saturday, on April 21, we all have an opportunity to do something good for our town, good for ourselves, and to get some immediate gratification at the same time. It's called Clean Up Green Up day and it allows residents to participate in a town-wide effort to make our community even more beautiful that it is already.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

You can participate by showing up at Memorial Town Hall, at 8 Meetinghouse Lane, next to the town green, between 8 and noon on Saturday, or you can just pick up around your neighborhood.

"You get a great sense of pride"

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I was talking with Madison First Selectman Fillmore McPherson about the many benefits of having people participate and he mentioned this reason, among others:

"After you've been picking up in an area, after you're all done, you can look back and see a clean, unsullied place, and you just get a great sense of pride in how beautiful this town is," he said.

Of course, that is just one of many reasons McPherson mentioned and maybe not even the most important one. Probably the most important one is that it this is a great way to give back. It's a great way to make sure our common areas--the places we here in town are so lucky to have, the places where we gather as a community--look as nice as they can as we head into our fun-filled summer months.

These areas could use some attention

Some areas that could use some attention include the downtown, the town green, the beaches, and the town's playing fields. , a wonderful community organization that turns out large number of volunteers for this event each year, provides this information about the event:

Please help the Madison Land Conservation Trust in this annual effort to keep our properties pristine.  Many hands make light work!  On Saturday morning, join fellow MLCT volunteers to clean up a land trust site.  Meet us at Memorial Town Hall, 8 Meetinghouse Lane, between 8:00 and [noon] to pick up gloves, trash bags, safety vests and a work assignment.  When you have finished, the litter can be taken to the dumpsters at the Memorial Town Hall ... . Thank you for helping to preserve and protect Madison’s open space!

Help Gunnar and Eileen as they continue their efforts to help the town

Also encouraging us to get involved in this effort are Gunnar and Eileen Johnson, tireless volunteers who serve on the Town Landscape Committee and the Chamber of Commerce's image committee, which is encouraging residents to help spruce up town beaches. Gunnar and Eileen--when they are not giving , or sipping tea and grabbing a bite to eat in the afternoon at --have worked hard to keep the downtown area and other parts of town beautiful. Their committee has worked with various town departments to tackle graffiti, place trash receptacles, paint signs, and address other details that, left untended, might make our downtown look a little shabby.

So, here's another benefit for those who want to participate, you'll be working with fun people like Gunnar, Eileen, and the folks who are part of the Madison Land Conservation Trust, not to mention our town's Beach & Recreation Department. If you want to join the Land Conservation Trust and be part of their group, here is information on membership: http://www.madisonlandtrust.org/join-us.

Or, just show up at between 8 a.m. and noon at Memorial Town Hall on Meetinghouse Lane by yourself, with your family, with your friends, or with your group.

Grab a bag, and go for it

Or ... easiest of all ... grab a bag and go 100 yards up one way and 100 yards down the other on your own street. It might not be quite as much fun as joining others at Memorial Town Hall, but at least you can engage in some immediate gratification. 

"I think it would be great if people picked up, up and down their street, near the house where they live, 100 yards in each direction," McPherson said. "I used to do that all the time when my wife and I lived on Durham Road. If everybody did that, then all the streets would be cleaned up, and beautiful. Everybody can do their little bit by picking up around their houses."

So, there you have it, lots of options for you. Let us know in the comments what you plan to do this coming Saturday to Clean Up Green Up.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here