ARCADIA, Fla. — More than 60 volunteers cleaned up downtown Arcadia Saturday morning as part of an annual event that's brought together neighbors for at least 10 years.
WATCH: Annual tradition brings dozens of volunteers to downtown Arcadia:
Non-profit Arcadia Main Street organized the cleanup in collaboration with the city.
“It gives you a good feeling to know that the community really puts forth effort and really cares about our downtown," said Pam Ames, the group's executive director. "This is the heart of our community. This is our history.”
Middle and high school students made most of the volunteer force, pulling weeds, picking up trash, and decorating the downtown area. It's a win-win for students who earned community service hours while cleaning up their hometown.
“A lot of people, they come down here, they just throw litter on the ground and it’s just really disrespectful," said DeSoto High School senior Anna Hernandez. "But, you know, we’re here to clean it up. So, it’s just, yeah, I don’t know, it’s just really fun to do it.”
The city also contributed to Saturday's cleanup. Several Arcadia Public Works employees and Police Marshal Quinn Jones participated.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
