By Marianne Austin For The Beacon

Volunteers took time out of their Saturday morning on April 5 to clean up Lake Park and get it ready for spring.

Terri Owen is a board member with Friends of the Park and volunteers for the spring cleanup every year.

“ It’ s overwhelming, and a lot of people didn’ t make it because they thought it was canceled due to the rain,” she said.“ Yesterday there was some water between the picnic shelters, and there is probably more now. We usually have a lot more people. The weather probably has something to do with it, but there are groups that came and helped out.”

Working along with Owen was Gail Piper.

“ We belong to Friends of the Park, and we come

Marianne Austin

Terri Owen and Gail Piper were raking and bagging leaves, sticks and trash.

every year, rain, shine or snow,” Piper said.

Volunteer Tim Mutersbaugh was working in one of the flower beds.

“ We’ re cleaning up all the rubbish, the sticks and some of the dead stuff,” he said.“ We put a light layer of mulch down to

help neutralize the ground, to help build it up more. Volunteers from Friends of the Park and anyone in the community can help. We do it every year. I just live up the road, so I like coming down to this park, and I’ m very thankful for this park. So I put some time

into making it nice. I bring my grandson down here to fish. It’ s a good time. We can get away from the house and come down here and enjoy the evening.”

Walmart store manager Penny Nickerson said this was their first park cleanup.

“ I brought a crew,” she said.“ They are around the park everywhere. Some are doing mulch, some are doing plants and we are picking up trash. This is our first annual one because we are going to do it every year. This is my first year as store manager. I moved to Coshocton about a year ago. So yeah, I love this town.”

Lisa Thompson was with the Walmart crew.

“ This is my first year,” she said.“ I like it, and at least it’ s not pouring down the rain.”

“ River View’ s prom is tonight, so we wanted to

Marianne Austin

Tammi Rogers, park director, is pictured with Lisa Thompson and Penny Nickerson from the Walmart crew that helped with park cleanup efforts.

make sure the pavilion got spruced up for them and everywhere else in the park that has sticks and litter that needed picked up,” said Tammi Rogers, park director.“ We are spreading mulch and just trying to spruce it up for springtime. The bags get a little heavier when it’ s wet, but what are

we gonna do? It’ s springtime in Ohio, and you never know what you’ re gonna get. I have actually attended cleanup days when it was snowing. I am just glad it’ s not snowing. I am thrilled that people took time out of their day to help us out. We appreciate it.”