Thanks to our environmentally-minded pop/beer/etc. drinkers Keep Alliance Beautiful bought a shiny, portable black air compressor with the cash from aluminum sales. On the last Friday in June I went to Bomgaars, one of the dozens of recycling businesses in Box Butte County who recycles, to buy right model to handle both pickup and forklift tires at the center. Signs posted all over the store advertised a substantial sale the next day, so I bought it the next morning. Despite pulling up minutes after the doors opened I was still a bit behind schedule to take my children up to the Box Butte County Fairgrounds in Hemingford for the annual cleanup.
Punctuality helps though is not essential in lending a hand and meeting the day’s goals at the pre-fair tradition. The 4-H program organizers post lists of tasks to be accomplished in the breezeway between the exhibit hall and barn/showring. My daughter started by washing the metal benches along the walkway while my son spent the bulk of his time helping fellow club members and other prepare the Little Red Barn where his rabbit is staying this week. Me? I found a shopping bag and a medium-sized garbage sack and methodically gathered litter.
Walking along the paved path between the parking area and buildings then through the midway, I found a remarkably clean environment. I commend the Box Butte County Fair/Ag Society, and the entities that make use of the facilities throughout the year, for their attention to detail and stewardship. More than 90 percent of what filled the smaller bag (twice) fell into Keep America Beautiful’s less than four inches category. This is the type of litter you may not see until it is under foot.
Mowers shredded some items while revealing trash in the grass by the benches. What I found told the story of 2023 from a few cigarette butts to zip ties that held signage. Dirt work for the new awning at the Diorama food booth seemed to have stirred up evidence of meals from a year ago: pop can tabs, broken plastic cutlery as well as screws and small shards of PVC pipe. I’m sure the wind played its part in snatching trash that would have been thrown away, a sort of unintentional litter.
My son texted me as I gathered styrofoam on the back side of the open class building – lunch is ready. The volunteers had finished before noon this year, maybe I’d police more of the grounds if I had spare time between the kids’ events. The majority of trash this week finds itself in dumpsters and I’m sure the fair manager has a crew to keep things tidy.
Keep Alliance Beautiful took our final turn emptying garbage at our summer celebration last month. Even though KAB plans to provide the same set of unique painted barrels at Heritage Days in 2025 we are passing the torch.
Both the Alliance Chamber of Commerce and Fair Board take the responsibility of creating a clean and welcoming environment seriously. Speaking from several years of experience, bagging mostly the trapping of leftover food and drink along The Bricks is a messy job. Thanks in advance to whoever takes it on next year. Maybe that role is more desirable this week. In any case, I’m glad everyone behind the scenes is cooperating to keep the fair “beautiful”.