Volunteers displayed their pride in Emporia on Sunday afternoon by taking part in a downtown cleanup sponsored by Emporia Main Street.
Focusing on trash and errant weeds, the group spread out from the Main Street office wearing gloves and carrying trash bags.
Dee Leary came out to help and brought her great-grandchildren, 5-year-old Yazmin Sotelo and 9-year-old Reuben Sotelo.
“This is something we do as part of our church,” Leary said of New Life Christian Church, which encourages its members to be active in the community. “We’ve helped out with the cleanups a couple of times.”
Main Street Director Casey Woods said Sunday’s cleanup was the ninth to take place since he took his position. The cleanups usually draw from 10 to 15 people, with some arriving a little late before diving into the work.
“We traditionally schedule part of our cleanup activities within the two-week time frame following ESU starting back up,” Woods said.
With fall just around the corner and activities like the Great American Market coming up, Woods said the volunteers showed up to help keep downtown Emporia in top shape.
“It’s one of those things that if you do little groups consistently, it’s not such a big undertaking,” Woods said.