DARLINGTON, SC – The Kalmia Garden Study Club and the City of Darlington will team up with the community for a Community Clean Up Day in advance of the fall festivals. Meet at the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce on the Public Square between 8 a.m. and noon on Saturday, Oct. 22. Planned activities include trimming, weeding, planting, cleaning, and more at the Public Square, Liberty Lane, the Rose Garden on Pearl Street, Wells Park, and the public parking lots behind C’Boans and at the News & Press.
Everyone is invited to participate. Bring work gloves and other tools if you have them. Specific needs include weed eaters, trimmers, brooms, shovels, leaf blowers, hedge clippers, etc. A list of jobs and needed supplies can be found on the Facebook event at www.facebook.com/DarlingtonSC. Participants are asked to post photos of the work using the hashtag #DarlingtonPride, so everyone can see the collective hard work being put back into our community.
Darlington native Laura Burns, organizer of the event and a member of the garden club, said the club started with the idea of an annual clean up day on the Public Square four years ago. “A city needs an involved citizenry to survive and to thrive, and I am glad to see so many people stepping up to help make our community a better place,” said Lisa Chalian-Rock, planning director for the city.
The event has grown to include two events each year (spring and fall) with several groups joining the campaign. The Kalmia Garden Study Club, the Darlington Kiwanis Club, the Darlington Fire Department, the Boy Scouts, the Darlington Lions Club, the Darlington High School Key Club, and geocachers from Darlington, Florence, Hartsville, and Fayetteville, N.C., all have pitched in during the event over the years.
This year, the Darlington Kiwanis Club will focus on the courthouse grounds. “It is wonderful to see so many people come together for our town,” Burns said. The Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce will serve as the headquarters during the event. The Kalmia Garden Study Club coordinates the Clean Up Day efforts.
If you are unable to attend the Community Clean Up Day at the Public Square this Saturday, you are encouraged to pitch in to clean up your street or neighborhood or make a donation to the Kalmia Garden Study Club.-This is from a Press Release.