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Snowmass Village annual cleanup day unearths some unique finds each spring

Volunteers for Snowmass cleanup day in 2016.
Anna Stonehouse/Snowmass Sun

From nasty, old mattresses to lost concert tickets, the annual Snowmass Village Cleanup day has taken a variety of items from the streets and paths to the landfill or the town clerk’s desk.

When the snow melts and the leftover litter of winter is exposed, residents of Snowmass have hit the streets, parking lots and paths for nearly 40 years to clean up the junk left by others.

The 39th annual Town Cleanup Day is Friday, and come rain or shine residents will spend the morning walking the village to pick up junk, help stain railings or help with a number of other beautification projects.



Town clerk Ronda Coxon moved to the village in 1981 and has helped at all but one of the cleanup days. The first years were as a resident/employee in the town, and the past 26 years she’s been organizing the event.

In a desk drawer at her Town Hall office she has what she deems the oddest find: an unused 1997 Jazz Aspen at Snowmass ticket for the Chuck Berry and Little Richard show.




“I kept it because it was so bizarre. What’s crazy is somebody found it at the 2008 cleanup day,” Coxon said. “I can’t remember where it was found, but I’m think it was on a residential road.”

The event started because town officials were figuring out a way to clean up after the snowmelt, she said. Back then, there wasn’t a big public works department or a trails crew like there is now, so the residents were invited to come out and to help out.

The parking lots typically are where the big junk is left, said Coxon and Snowmass director of parks, rec and trails Andy Worline, but there have been some finds: watches, wallets, sunglasses. And the not-so-great stuff: underwear, toothbrushes, hub cabs, unopened beers (well, maybe that’s a good find).

“A few years back, the front end of an old car was found in the creek,” Coxon said.

Worline estimates they picked up about 30 truckloads of trash last year, which is “quite a bit, especially for this small geographical size of the area we go.”

Friday’s event starts at 9 a.m. at the Daly Lane Depot at the Snowmass Mall. Volunteers can help for all or part of the time. Lunch, which is hosted by the Snowmass Rotary, will start at about noon at the rec center. There will be prizes and raffles during the lunch.

Those interested in helping should wear clothes that can get dirty and also be ready for weather changes. Gloves and bags will be provided, and at the morning meeting volunteers will be set up in groups.

“I think it’s a good ‘team builder’ for the community,” Worline said. “They look forward to it and take pride in it.”

dkrause@aspentimes.com

Snowmass


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