Cary Pride Day looking for volunteers, projects

Cary Pride Day, the annual volunteer-based cleanup effort, has become so successful that this year organizers are looking for more projects in addition to putting out their usual call for volunteers.

The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 16. Volunteers meet at the entrance of Cary-Grove High School, 2208 Three Oaks Road, and will get a free lunch from noon to 1 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

Cleanup projects will benefit the village of Cary, the Cary Park District, Cary Elementary District 26 and the McHenry County Conservation District, organizer Tim Boivin said.

This year’s big project will target Hoffman Park in Cary, where as many as 45 volunteers will do brush clearing in order to remove invasive plant species and plant native ones, he said.

Other projects will include working on trails on McHenry County Conservation District land, picking up trash along power lines and off the baseball field at Maplewood Elementary School, and landscaping other public property throughout town.

Cary Pride Day began as an offshoot of the now-defunct Character Counts! organization, Boivin said. The boys and girls track teams at Cary Grove High School are now an integral part of the event, which last year featured about 150 volunteers.

Buses will be provided by the park district and Algonquin Township, and drivers will be provided by the village and the park district. The event’s rain date is April 30.

For details about Cary Pride Day or to sign up, call Tim Boivin at (847) 516-2863 or e-mail him at tim.boivin@techimage.com.