News
Athens Beautification Day Event Adds Locations Outside City Limits
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
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Organizers of the 10th annual Athens Beautification Day are hoping to make this year’s event bigger than ever with more volunteers and service projects that extend outside the Athens city limits.
On Monday, Athens Beautification Day Chairwoman Rose Troyer discussed the upcoming spring event with Athens City Council. She said the volunteer event began in 2005 with the Ohio University men’s water polo team and 150 volunteers. The purpose of the event is to get students and community members working together to spruce up the city.
Last year, the event had more than 1,400 volunteers working on various projects around the city. This year, Troyer said organizers hope to see between 2,000 and 2,500 volunteers working on even more projects. She said they hope to complete beautification projects in The Plains and Nelsonville in addition to Athens.
Athens Beautification Day will be held April 13. Registration for the event will begin at noon at Scripps Amphitheater on the OU campus. Speakers will begin at 12:30 p.m. and projects will take place from 1-4 p.m. There will also be free food, entertainment and T-shirts for those who volunteer.
According to Troyer, organizers are still looking for project ideas for the event in the community. Some projects already lined up include highway litter pickup, beautification of the Wayne National Forest, projects with Rural Action and ARTS/West and graffiti cleanup.
Troyer said she will be working to make sure that project teams are a good mix of both students and long-term community members to encourage more town-gown mingling.
To submit a project for Athens Beautification Day, email OhioUOCL@gmail.com. To register for the event, visitwww.eventbrite.com and search “Athens Beautification Day.”