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Oh, hello again, tiny, annoying sugar ants. Greetings, elegant, vibrant tulips. And heyo, spring cleaning! As we turn to freshening up our homes and gardens, let’s not forget about the space just beyond the property line: our sweet little neighborhood!

How many times have you walked past that soggy, old paper cup and thought, “someone should clean that up.” Well, guess what? You are someone! And on Saturday, May 2, you can join your fellow ‘someones’—AKA neighbors—to spruce up Wallingford’s sidewalks, parking lots, fields, and more.

Find the table in front of Wallingford Center between 10 am and 1 pm. Gloves, safety vests, bags, and pickers will be provided. As will doughnuts and coffee! While you’re sipping your second cup of the day, the very helpful volunteers will give you guidance on which streets need the most attention.

Hot Tip: Kids love doing neighborhood clean-up, especially when they have a peer to do it with.

In addition to the street clean-up, another team of volunteers will be removing the old banners that run the length of 45th Street. They, too, are seeking volunteers!

45th Street Banner Removal Project

Ron Waldman, with Historic Wallingford’s Board of Directors, is coordinating a volunteer effort on Saturday, May 2, to remove the 20-year-old pole banners along N 45th Street to Stone Way N. These banners were a service project carried out by The Meridian School students back in 2007.

Removing these dated banners will make way for bright, beautiful new ones, currently in the design/permitting stage, which will promote and celebrate the annual Wallingford Parade, coming up in July.

There are already two “foremen” identified (Ron and a friend) for the project. In addition, they’ll need two able-bodied volunteers for each crew (one for each side of the street) willing to help carry, set up, and scale an aluminum extension ladder to remove the 22 banners from their poles (11 banners per crew).

Gather at the volunteer desk near the Animal Storm statue. Ladders, bright safety vests, gloves, zip-tie cutters, and orange pedestrian safety cones will be available for each crew. Please email Ron if you’re able to volunteer for this job. Time on task is estimated to be about two hours.