BURLINGTON WEATHER

How Burlington Works

More than 30 Burlington residents showed up on a windy Saturday morning to do something most people only think about: pick up the trash that accumulates quietly along the edges of the places we love.

The two-hour Community Cleanup at Mill Pond — Burlington's primary drinking water source and a beloved spot for dog walks, fishing, wildlife watching, and weekend strolls — drew volunteers of all ages.

What they found ranged from the mundane to the genuinely baffling.

The weirdest objects category delivered: a diaper, a small pet burial box, and part of a deer skeleton. The heaviest haul included a large section of chain link fence and part of a porcelain sink or toilet. And then there was the cache — a massive collection of bottles and cans, bagged and left to rot years or possibly a decade or more ago, finally removed from the back trails and sent to be disposed of.

After two hours of cleanup, volunteers gathered for a celebration as hard-earned as it was well-deserved — pizza, refreshments donated by Wegmans, and prizes handed out for the superlatives above and more. Special thanks to Wegmans, as well as O'Connor Ace Hardware, which donated gloves for the effort, and High Point Chiropractic, which donated a prize for one of the winners.

Despite the wind and the early hour, something else happened too: new friendships formed over a shared care for a piece of Burlington that belongs to all of us. That's not a small thing.

Burlington Buzz organized the event; Burlington Conservation and the Burlington Scouts helped host and lead. More cleanups are coming — stay tuned.

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