Milan Cares Volunteers Push Through Rain for Spring Cleanup

Rain and muddy conditions did not stop Milan Cares volunteers from heading out Saturday to pick up trash across Milan and nearby townships during the group’s annual spring cleanup.

Volunteers gathered April 18 at Workhorse Realty, 334 County St., where organizer Ed Kolar assigned crews before teams spread out across the community. This year marked the group’s ninth official year, Kolar said.

Cleanup sites included highway ramps, roadsides, parks and other areas where trash tends to collect. Kolar said the effort also extends into nearby township areas.

The event brought out a mix of longtime volunteers, families, students and local officials. Groups included members of the Milan Area Schools Board of Education, Milan City Council and library board, along with Milan’s football team, Cub Scout Pack 3491 and the Easy Riders 4-H club. Kolar said organizers work to make sure younger volunteers can help safely while staying away from busy roads.

The weather and a busy Saturday schedule changed some plans. Kolar said opening day for Milan Youth Soccer delayed some volunteers’ arrival, and Cub Scouts who helped had to leave for their Pinewood Derby. Even so, crews still covered their assigned areas.

Volunteers said they found plenty to pick up.

Kelsey Winter said she and her daughter, Lily, found bones from deer, fox and possums. Winter said a large share of the trash included beer and liquor bottles.

Other volunteers reported finding fast food wrappers, bottle caps, fishing-related packaging, cannabis-related items, discarded adult items and other roadside litter.

Josh Kofflin said his group also found a tarp and a large amount of plastic. “We need to figure that problem out,” Kofflin said.

Volunteers also spotted wildlife, including a painted turtle affectionately named “Milan Angelo” and live deer near the high school. Marie Gress said she found a snake and a car part, while Pam Ackerman reported finding rusty gutters wrapped in Christmas lights near the railroad tracks near Main Street.

The event drew volunteers of all ages. Helena Beth Root said her children were especially excited by the cleanup.

“My kiddos loved it,” Root wrote. “They exclaimed nonstop, ‘I found a bottle. I found a baseball.’ … And we saw a snake.”

As in past years, the cleanup ended with a shared meal, giving volunteers a chance to reconnect after the work was done. Food included homemade sausages, pulled pork and ribs prepared by Rob Friese, along with macaroni and cheese, pizza, pop, water, cookies and other donated items. Kolar also invited Milan firefighters and police officers who were on duty to come by for a meal.

Friese, joking about the spread, said, “I would have a food truck, but it would take the fun out of it.”

In a post after the event, Kolar thanked the volunteers and organizers who helped run the cleanup and meal, including Friese for the pork and ribs, Joe Ringbloom and George Elder for food donations, Denise Kolar, Traci Cole and Penny LeBlanc for running home base, and Carrie Ritchie for the sweet treats.

“Yesterday was a great success due to all the volunteers who came out to make a difference,” Kolar wrote. “Milan is so much cleaner today than it was on Friday.”

Milan Cares holds cleanup events twice a year as part of its effort to keep the community clean.

Featured photo: Volunteers with Milan Cares collected dozens of bags of trash during the group’s spring cleanup. Photo courtesy of Milan Cares