NORWAY — The annual Art Gouin Community Pride & Town Clean-up and Lake Pennesseewassee Park Clean-up Day is set for May 4.

The hours are 8 a.m. to noon.

The event, which is sponsored by the Norway Recreation Department and the Advertiser Democrat, draws scores of individuals and teams annually to the streets of Norway and the park beside Route 118.

“You get the satisfaction of making your community a cleaner and more attractive place to live, work and play,” organizer Anne Sheehan, editor of the Advertiser Democrat, said. “A cleaner community is also inviting for businesses.”

The annual cleanup was named for Arthur N. Gouin Jr., who started it many years ago.

“This is a beautiful town, but like any other beautiful town it needs care,” he wrote in a letter to the editor just prior to the 2011 cleanup day.

Gouin, who passed away in June 2012, was a teacher, recreation director for several years in Norway, a University of Maine extension agent in community development and owner of L.F. Pike & Son on Main Street in Norway.

The day kicks off at the municipal parking lot next to L.F. Pike & Son at 8 a.m. where volunteers can sign in, get bags and stickers. Free bags are available compliments of the Advertiser Democrat and free coffee compliments of Cafe Nomad.

So far, seven teams have organized to participate: Norway Savings Bank, Norway Downtown, Norway Police Department, Norway Fire Department, KeyBank, Harris Brothers and Cafe Nomad. Teams or individuals can pick a street to clean or be assigned one.

The cleanup ends at noon.

Harris Brothers will once again pick up the trash and bulk items. No leaves or garden materials will be picked up.

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