French Creek Cleanup 2013 breaks all records!
This year’s cleanup day was perfect! The weather started cool and warmed up nicely as the day went on, but was never too hot. People registered months ahead, weeks ahead, and even the day before and we had a wonderful turnout of about 700 volunteers! The creek was low after a wet summer where it was higher than normal for most of the time. This all lead to another record amount of trash being pulled out of the watershed – 35,720 pounds! We also had more corporate teams competing for the coveted hellbender trophy – about a dozen teams competed this year. Meadville Medical Center took home the trophy with 5,200 pounds of trash they cleaned from the watershed.
Because of the great turn out year after year, we are getting more than French Creek cleaned. Several tributaries including Mill Run, Neason Run and Sugar Creek are also looking nicer these days. Meadville Area Middle School again took home the prize for the educational institution with the most participants by involving more than 100 students and staff in the event. French Creek Community Theater reclaimed the prize for most participants for a community group with 63 cast, crew and friends! Volunteers gathered at Sprague Farm and Brew Works after their hard work of collecting the trash. They were treated to a picnic and enjoyed music from Salmon Frank. This and everything that makes the day a success were made possible by our board members and over 50 sponsors. It truly is a wonderful community event!
We hope to see even more people out next year enjoying the creek, cleaning it up and celebrating our community treasure – French Creek! September 6, 2014 – mark your calendar!