Volunteers to clean Naperville's Riverwalk
We all keep our own lists of how we know it's spring.
For some folks in Naperville, it goes something like this:
Robins? Check.
Daffodils? Yep.
Riverwalk Cleanup Day? Absolutely.
The annual cleanup - scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and overseen by Naperville Park District - is the kind of event that would make Tom Sawyer proud.
Only instead of Tom convincing you it would really, really be fun to whitewash this here fence, park district and Riverwalk leaders look you right in the eye, give you a big ol' grin and then hand you a rake and a garbage bag and send you and your friends off to do what Riverwalk Administrator Jan Erickson cheerily calls a little "spring cleaning."
Believe it or not, all sorts of people - Scouts, high school students, church groups, garden clubs, innocent passers-by - show up every year in their work clothes and gloves and dig right in.
Erickson says the event usually attracts between 25 and 50 people, depending on the weather. Participating Scouts can earn merit badges, students can earn community service hours and others can simply earn a pat on the back and the knowledge they've added a little luster to the downtown path that everyone calls the city's crown jewel.
Truth be told, the project also saves park district crews in charge of the path's maintenance countless man-hours and, in the process, some cold, hard cash.
"The idea is to get the Riverwalk in order for the coming season," Erickson says.
The good news is you probably won't freeze to death in the process. If it's really cold at 8 a.m. (below 40 degrees) or if it's raining or snowing or hailing or otherwise incredibly yucky, organizers will call the whole thing off.
Otherwise, they'll be waiting for you at the Free Speech Pavilion next to the Dandelion Fountain at Jackson Avenue and Webster Street with a hearty handshake and directions about where you should start.
You can work for all three hours or for any segment of time that fits your schedule picking up paper, cigarette butts, tree branches and anything else that doesn't belong along the scenic downtown path.
Some groups prefer to focus their efforts on specific gardens along the brick path and others seem to enjoy tackling specific tasks, such as spreading mulch.
If the weather is warm enough, some volunteers may even find themselves scrubbing plaques or medallions.
Erickson herownself probably will be on hand to tackle some of the paperwork that goes along with the project, but don't expect to see her clipping any wayward branches or hauling mulch.
The Riverwalk administrator, it turns out, is no Becky Thatcher.
"I'm a girl," she says with a smile in her voice, "and I don't like to get my fingernails dirty."
If you go
What: Annual Riverwalk cleanup
Who: Volunteer workers
When: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 18
Where: Meet at the Free Speech Pavilion at Jackson Avenue and Webster Street
Info: (630) 305-5984