FARMINGTON — The 8th Annual Earth Day cleanup was held Thursday afternoon, April 22. Despite adverse weather, volunteers cleaned parks, roadsides and recreation areas with some interesting items found in the process.

“I’m so excited,” organizer Jo-Anne “Jody” Bean Palmer said after corralling bits of paper blown around by the wind. Sporting gloves and a winter coat, she was stationed at The Pierce House where volunteers signed in and indicated where they would be working. “We thought about cancelling but people showed up and wanted to do it.”

The temperature was just above freezing with wind making it seem much colder.

By 2:30 p.m. more than 25 people had signed up she said. In a later email she noted 31 people had taken part with some expected to continue efforts through the rest of the week.

A trio of Mt. Blue Middle School eighth graders was seen cleaning near the tennis courts at Hippach Field. This is the second year Avery Jessen, Nora McCourt and Maya Kellett participated in the Earth Day cleanup.

The first volunteer to arrive back at The Pierce House with items collected was Debbie Joseph. Her efforts unearthed a vintage country music cassette. Joseph and her realtor team collected bags of trash plus a couple tires.

Team Fowler, who cleaned along upper Middle Street found a variety of items including Big Red’s Black Cherry Hard Cider and Twisted tea bottles and cans, electrical wires and insulators, leftover TV parts, smelly fish boxes and plastic, small bags of home garbage/waste, McDonalds and Burger King wrappers and cigarette butts.

Volunteers cleaned sections of Route 43 towards Industry, Abbot Park, Front Street, the downtown Farmington parking lot and area around the Post Office and portions of the Whistle Stop Trail.

“Thank you, Jody for organizing  the effort,” Fran Fowler noted in a later email to Bean Palmer. “It makes Farmington a ‘Tidy Town.’”