Pride Day In Avon Lake: Clean-Up Beautifies Town

AVON LAKE, OH — Avon Lake got a little prettier on Saturday. Volunteers from different municipal groups went to work cleaning up Safety Town and pulling invasive plants from local parks. All of the activity was part of the Lorain County Pride Day and its affiliate Avon Lake Community Pride Day.

Some 40 Kiwanis Club members went to work cleaning up Safety Town over the weekend. The club built Safety Town in 2001 and have maintained it since its creation for the city. Club members eagerly swept the mini-streets, mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, and performed maintenance on the mini-homes and street signs in preparation for June Safety Town sessions.

"[Pride Day] renews my pride in Safety Town," said Russell Henderson, a Kiwanis Club member. "We built it. It's our legacy."

In another part of town, eight volunteers were busy pulling invasive garlic mustard plants from the Kopf Reservation. The group, organized by Erica Larson, rid the forest of the choking influence of the plants from 9:30 a.m. until about noon.

Garlic mustard plants can destroy native plants in the region using two methods. First, the plants release a bevy of seeds, making it difficult for other plants to get the nutrients they need or find places to set roots. Second, the garlic mustard plants will release a toxin into the soil that makes it even harder for native plants to grow.

Larson organized a group that pulled the garlic mustard plants from Kopf last year as well. She told Patch that it's important to return to the same park because the invasive plant's seeds can take root and pollute soil for up to seven years.

"We want to make sure the health of the woods are always taken into account," she said. "It does not have a whole lot of native plant growth."

The Avon Lake Community Pride Day started last year, as part of the Lorain County Pride Day. Both Pride Days are part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, which seeks to reduce littering, improve recycling, and beautify communities across the country. Some 22 communities throughout Lorain County took part, in some form, in Pride Day.

Larson said that she would like to expand what Avon Lake is doing to include more groups. She said she would love to partner with the Avon Lake School System to expand clean-up activities and get more manpower out and about.

Photo from Avon Lake Kiwanis Club