Originally published in the 4/20/17 print edition of Yellowstone County News.
HUNTLEY — Volunteers who join the Huntley community cleanup on Saturday, April 28 will be given lunch in Barkemeyer Park and enjoy a free concert by the Bucky Beaver Ground Grippers.
Ryan Roen, who is organizing the grassroots effort, was happy to report this week that the band is ready to play and that the Huntley Project School District will supply a school bus to bring volunteers from the park to the interstate to pick up trash.
Roen first announced his community cleanup plan last week. Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative will sponsor lunch of hamburgers or hot dogs grilled on the barbecue by Jesse Stark and the Stark family.
Roen’s plan: Meet at Barkemeyer Park in Huntley on the side by the railroad tracks at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 28. He has a bus lined up to take people out along Interstate 94 between Huntley and Lockwood, where they can be dropped off at points where they can pick up trash, then catch the bus back to Barkemeyer Park.
He said the busing plan keeps vehicles from parking along the Interstate. He said families with small children who want to participate can choose to work in an area with less traffic, since safety is a prime concern.
Anyone who wants to volunteer or who wants to find out more can call Roen at 698-7685. You don’t have to call ahead; you can just show up at the park. Bright and Beautiful is supplying orange vests and water, he said. Dress for the weather, and bring some gloves.
Other community cleanup efforts are in the works that day.
The Shepherd Lions Club, working with Bright and Beautiful, also has a Shepherd community cleanup planned on Saturday, April 28. Volunteers can meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Shepherd Community Center on Haynes Road. A chili lunch is planned at the Community Center following the cleanup.
Jackie Schleder said Republic Services is donating the use of a large trash container for the Shepherd cleanup. Everyone is welcome, including families with children, she said.
Law enforcement officers from the sheriff’s office and highway patrol will patrol throughout the day, both Roen and Schleder said.
Bright and Beautiful has several cleanup projects planned across Billings on April 28.
The following Saturday, May 5, is the Worden Community Club’s annual cleanup.
