Ten Cape Girardeau parks revitalized during the 40th Annual Friends of the Park Day

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — Ten parks are cleaner and more colorful after community members spent Saturday morning picking up litter, planting new flowers, and spreading mulch.

At the 40th annual Friends of the Park and Great Cape Clean Up Day, parks and recreation director Doug Gannon said the event helps people take pride in their parks.

“We’re doing a lot of different things today,” he said. “We’re planting flowers, we’re mulching flower beds, putting in fall protection in playgrounds, picking up litter — just doing general beautification stuff throughout the city parks.”

At the Capaha park playground volunteers filled dips in the playground mulch — spreading and evening it out so it is safe for kids to play on.

Two experienced high school volunteers said they enjoyed the work.

“It’s something to get me out of the house, get some fresh air, do something to help clean up the area, and you get to do it with a bunch of fun people,” Addy Suhre said.

“I come out because I feel like it actually makes a big difference in our community,” Nalaiya Furlow said. “Cleaning up and stuff — making sure that dogs don’t eat any bad debris and stuff like that — like plastics and stuff — and making sure that kids have a safe place to play — I feel like that’s really good to do around here.”

On the other side of the park volunteers planted flowers and spread mulch.

Volunteers Ava Rhymer and Lilli Dubs said they enjoyed getting out on a nice Saturday morning and getting to use pitchforks as they spread mounds of mulch around the flower beds.

“It got our hands dirty, but we’re beautifying the garden,” Dubs said.

“It’s worth it,” Rhymer said.