Record turnout for annual River Celebration and Cleanup

Posted on April 4, 2013 By Editor Articles, Neighborhood News, Top Stories

The 18th annual River Celebration and Cleanup was a success by every measure. There were 50 cleanup sites (up from 30 sites in 2012) over greater Jacksonville. The numbers include 1,183 volunteers (also up from 1,002) who gave 3,442 hours on a Saturday morning, collecting 1,154 bags of trash from the river banks, storm drains and streets, in addition to 158 tires, six mattresses, three shopping carts, two bicycles and two dump trucks full of invasive plant species, among other oddities. People came out in organized groups or on their own to help keep our city and its neighborhoods beautiful. Of note, the four new Riverside/ Avondale check-in sites together tallied 453 volunteers
(38 percent) of the total volunteers.

: Mayor Alvin Brown bagged trash at the Northbank Riverwalk cleanup site

: Front, District 14 Councilman Jim Love, Mayor Alvin Brown, Chris Buckley of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and Lisa Rinaman, St. Johns Riverkeeper; back: John Shellhorn of Clean It Up, Green It Up, and Jimmy Orth, Executive Director, St. Johns Riverkeeper

: Jay Burnett of Bold Bean Coffe said, “I’m a recreational cigarette butt picker-upper.”

: The Junior League of Jacksonville picked up trash in the 5 Points Historic District and surrounding streets: Front, Will Waller and Jaden Patel with Shannon Davis, Leslie Navidi and Kathy Waller; rear: Rakesh Patel, April Patterson, Megan Dodd, Malana and Becky Patel, Ginger Longmire and Janice Rice.

: Boy Scout Troop 2 has been participating in the River Celebration and Clean-up since the inception of the event, always at the Fishweir Creek location. Taking part in the 2013 event were James Baker, Jared Carter, Mason Doherty, Reid Hampton, Spencer Huie, Karsten Hunger, Reese Kalka, Max Klavon, Corbin Lowe, Oliver Michelsen, Sam Michelsen, John Monteleone, Trent Newton, Gannon Nolan, James Payne, Gabriel Perry, Andrew Russell, Pete Russell, John Wright Stanly, Jack Swinson, Grant Wallace, Hunter Warner, Ben Watson, and Caleb Watson. Troop leaders included Alan Wilson, Chris Michelson, Brent Klavon, Tom Swinson, Joe Wood, and Todd Brown.