Submitted photo A group of Elkins Mountain School residents helped clean up the All-Veterans Memorial Park this week. Posing alongside the residents next to the Rosie the Riveter Statue are, from left, Emma Scott Garden Club's Mary Higgins, Elkins Mountain School's Carrie Moore, and All-Veterans Memorial Council chairman Jeff Wood.

ELKINS – The Emma Scott Garden Club received some much-needed help from Elkins Mountain School residents in preparing the All-Veterans Memorial Park for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.

Representatives from the Emma Scott Garden Club, Elkins Make it Shine, and the All-Veterans Memorial Council all worked alongside the Mountain School residents in cleaning up the area at the intersection of Randolph Avenue and Railroad Avenue this week.

“The Mountain School boys cleaned up all the trash from all around the field and all around the monuments and memorials,” ESGC member Linda Shomo said. “The veterans are now mowing all of the field at the Park, and we are teaming up with them and the Mountain School boys to try and keep that field looking nice. The boys really worked hard and did a beautiful job in getting it ready for the holiday.”

Those taking part in the clean-up effort collected close to five bags of trash. Scottie’s Restaurant owner Liz Bowers expressed her appreciation to the volunteers by providing free hot dogs, fries and drinks for the workers after the work was complete.

“Liz’s gesture highlighted the warm, reciprocal relationship that sustains our community efforts,” Shomo said. “The cleanup was a deliberate stride toward a dignified and prepared Veterans Memorial Field for Memorial Day celebrations.

“The collaborative moments set a positive tone for ongoing improvements and community events… It showcases how coordinated volunteer effort, guided leadership, and local partnerships can transform public spaces.”

Shomo said that the Mountain School has already signed on to help clean the Rosie the Riveter Statue located at All-Veterans Memorial Park.

“The boys from the Mountain School are also going to be polishing the Rosie the Riveter Statue for us,” Shomo said. “We’ve just got all the details on how to polish and what to use, so they are going to be doing that for us in the near future.”

Emma Scott Garden Club Member Mary Higgins, All-Veterans Memorial Council chairman Jeff Wood, and Mountain School Recreational staff member Carrie Moore were on hand and helped guide the clean-up effort at the park this week.