The Friends of the River Foundation is excited to announce the annual Spring Spruce-up event, dedicated to enhancing the beauty and cleanliness of Salina. Scheduled for Saturday, April 27th, from 8:00 a.m. to noon, this community-driven initiative invites volunteers of all ages to join hands in a collective effort to revitalize various locations throughout the city.

Spring Spruce-up is a testament to community spirit and civic pride. Volunteers are encouraged to engage in a multitude of tasks, including landscape beautification, trash removal, painting, and more. With a diverse range of volunteer duties tailored to suit various interests and skills, participants can contribute meaningfully to Salina’s beautification.

Volunteers are requested to gather at designated meeting points, detailed below, and are advised to wear appropriate attire for outdoor work and bring their own gloves. Child volunteers aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Volunteer Duties and Meeting Locations:

• Ashby House:Landscape and campus clean-up. (143 S. 8th St.) CHDO (Community Housing Development Opportunity):Paint house, garage, and basement (700 W. Crawford St.) Paint house and seed lawn (746 Choctaw Ave.)
• City of Salina: Placing medallions on storm drains about trash in the waterways. (The Temple’s parking lot, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave.)
• Smoky Hill River: Cutting down invasive honeysuckle bush and clean-up of trash at the Smoky Hill River near the YMCA. Park at Kenwood Cove & meet at the YMCA parking lot.
• North Town District: Clean-up landscaping at 5-Corners. (N. Ninth St. & N. Broadway Blvd.) Picking up trash on an empty lot. (Marifah Motel southeast parking lot, 1846 N. Ninth St.)
• Salina Downtown: Prep planter pots, clean up trash corrals, general cleaning of parking lots and alleys, clean out storage corral in alley, and power wash 67401 plaza. (Strand Plaza & Barolo Grille’s back patio, 112-114 South Santa Fe Ave.)
• Salina Food Bank: Spreading new soil and mulch in garden beds, weeding & planting, cleaning carts, sanding & staining garden beds, and re-taping the warehouse. (255 S. Chicago St.)
• Salina Rescue Mission: Garden, painting, storage organization. (1716 Summers Rd.)
• The Temple: Mulching & planting flowers outside, painting & decluttering spaces inside. (Use the north red door to come in at 336 S. Santa Fe Ave.)

Additionally, the City of Salina is hosting a Free Landfill Day from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Following the cleanup efforts, there will be a Repair Café from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Participants are encouraged to bring one small everyday item in need of quick repair, such as a table lamp, bicycle, clothing, or quilt. The event is hosted at the Salina Art Center Warehouse, 149 S. 4th Street, and is free of charge.

We invite all members of the community to join us in this impactful endeavor to rejuvenate and uplift our beloved city. For further information, please contact The Friends of the River Foundation at [email protected] or call (785) 493-8491.

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