River Fest to Clean Up Saukville

The nice weather has arrived just in time for Saukville residents to return to the river and parks for a community-wide cleanup day, widely known as the village’s annual River Fest.

Individuals, families and community groups are invited to Grady Park between 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday to help clean up the village and the river.

A bus will provide transportation for the volunteers to work various sites, and organizers strongly encourage volunteers to come dressed in pants, shirts, heavy duty shoes and gloves for safety reasons; also, shoes are a must. Lunch will be served in Grady Park after the cleanup, and participants also go home with a gift.

Cindy Douglas, one of the pioneers of the project, described Riverfest as a great way for people of all ages to have a positive impact on their community.  

In 1996, the village and its youth were brainstorming ways to foster more community involvement, and soon the idea for River Fest was formed. Having participated in river cleanups in the past, Douglas was at the forefront of running the village-wide environmental project.

Within the first few years, Douglas saw participation grow with help from school and scouting groups.  

"We had a lot of groups come out, groups from other communities," Douglas said.

River Fest now draws volunteers from Saukville and nearby communities to clean up the village’s parks to promote a clean environment for those who enjoy them.

Saukville was one of the first communities in the area to have an event like this, Douglas said, and cleanup days similar to Riverfest are popping up in other nearby towns. 

Village trustee Mike Krocka, who has been involved with River Fest for the past nine years, said he’s expecting a nice turnout.

“We usually get 70 to about 100 people,” he said.

And these bodies are needed for some of the hard work required to clean up the rivers and parks.

Douglas said that in the past, adults have done some heavy cleaning along the shore and in the river, but some heavy lifting has been needed to tidy up the creek that runs from Saukville Elementary through the industrial park.

"We’ve found the craziest stuff," she said, explaining that in the past volunteers have pulled dryers and lawnmowers from the water.

However, Douglas said that River Fest is for all ages. Young children and school groups are encouraged to work in the parks and pick up trash.  

Volunteers can register in advance for River Fest here or at Grady Park on Saturday morning.