Pelham Communities in Bloom committee member Don Marr said that the group holds two participation days a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

"In the spring we clean up the roadways," said Marr. "In the fall we paint over graffiti and take down posters."

The idea behind the event is to keep Pelham tidy. Marr said that in the spring they choose the day they are going to clean up by waiting for the grass to start showing and, inevitably, the litter.

In the fall, when the weather is still warm enough, they paint over any graffiti in the town, take down any posters that have been up a long time, and pick up litter.

Marr said the cleanup takes place over the whole town of Pelham, from the Welland River to Sawmill Road, but that it is also important to keep the urban areas tidy.

During the spring clean up, Marr said, they had about 125 volunteers come out to help. The committee, made up of 10 individuals, also welcomes any students who are looking to get volunteer hours.

The event is rain or shine because, Marr said, they never know who is going to come out and volunteer so they can't call everyone to let them know it is cancelled.

The cleanup day starts at 9 a.m. at Peace Park behind Pelham Town Hall. When the cleanup is done at 1 p.m. volunteers will be treated to a free barbecue courtesy of Enbridge and Klager's Food Markets.

For more information call Don Marr at 905-892-1330.