By Bruce Karnick

[email protected]

Adopt-a-park cleanups can and do happen year-round, not just part of the Earth Day clean up. Hastings has a long list of adopt-a-park organizations for many of our 37 parks. The requirements to participate are quite simple, clean up your adopted park twice each year, in spring and fall, for two years and coordinate the cleanup with the City of Hastings Parks department so that they can help with supplying and picking up the trash bags.

Now is a perfect time to grab some friends, take a walk and simply pick up a park you live by. With all the use the parks could have seen from the Fourth of July weekend, there are bound to be plenty of items that need to be picked up.

Currently, there is one park listed on the city website, Sunny Acres Park, but if you are interested in helping, you can still reach out to the organizations on the list to join them, or your organization can let Parks know that you’d like a spot if one opens up. Reach out to [email protected] gov for more information. Thanks to these wonderful organizations for their support in keeping our parks clean for everyone to enjoy!

319 Crew – Tuttle Park & South Pines Park Ardent Mills – Cannon Park & Old Mill Park Boy Scout Troop 23 – Pleasant Park Cub Scout Pack 278 – Conzemius Park Edina Realty – Roadside Park Eagle Bluffs Neighbors – Eagle Bluff Park Featherstone Ponding Basin – Mike & Jamie Bombardier Family Girl Scout Troop 57894 – Dakota Hills Park Good Neighbors 4-H Club – Lions Park Hastings Area Rotary Club – Vermillion Falls Park Hastings Fire Dept. Relief Association – River Flats Hastings Hawks – Veterans Athletic Complex Hastings & Prescott Girl Scouts – Crestview Park Lions Park Neighbors – Lions Park Trail Merchants Bank – The LeDuc Minnesota Veterans Home – ConAgra Park MOMS Club of Hastings – Westwood Park Moms on the Run – Jaycee Park Mrs. Glazier’s 3rd Grade Class – Tierney Park Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – Levee Park, Olivers Grove Park & Depot Park One Hour Heating and Air, Mister Sparky – Rosemary Ponding Basin Regina Hospital – Wallin Park & Wilson Park Rivertown Lions Club – Greten Park United Steel Workers Local 662 – Levee Park Garden Beds The Butch & Karleen Peine Family – Cari Park The Cadwell Family – CP Adams Park The Caneff Family – Pioneer Park The Crisp Family – Jaycee Park Trail & Lake Rebecca The Neuharth Family – Riverwood Park

Volunteers from the United Steelworkers Local 662 are part of the Adopt-a-park program in Hastings assinged to clean up the Levee Garden Beds around the Rotary Pavillion. A large task that requires pulling weeds and picking up trash in the area, the Local 662 is a strong proponent of their members helping in their communities. Some members travel two hours to help their Hastigns Volunteers with the clean up. Others travelled from Eagan or Cannon Falls. Volunteering encourages Union members to get involved, make a difference outside of work and get to know each others families. Left to right Sue, Dominic, Karly, Kevin, Mike, Shirley, Jim, Chris, Annabelle, Audrey, Alijah and Jim. Photo and details courtesy of Chris and Jessica Mishkee.