Thompson Falls beautifies town

THOMPSON FALLS – The community of Thompson Falls came together last week to help beautify their town. The goal of the annual event is to spruce up, clean up and pick up the town.

Thompson Falls Beautification Days spanned April 10-12. Teams hit the streets on Thursday with a task at hand. Groups were sent to the rose garden and the main street hedge roses along the railroad tracks, among other locations.

Throughout the three-day event, volunteers helped town residences spruce up their lawn. One of the main purposes of Beautification Days is to help those in need.

If a resident needs some assistance or does not have near-by family to help out, volunteers will help prune their yard and remove any unwanted material.

According to Organizer Rita Lundgren, the support Beautification Days receives from the community shows what a great place Thompson Falls is.

“We have a fabulous community where people pitch in and volunteer,” Lundgren said. “They care about their community.”

That was apparent when driving through town. Groups of volunteers could be spotted throughout the area, working feverishly to clean up their beloved community.

Not only is it a community effort, but local governments also back the effort.

“The county and city are behind it 100 percent,” Lundgren said.

Crews from Blackfoot came out to help prune and remove trees within the city limits, while a team of volunteers worked on Wild Goose landing. Students combed the streets and helped remove litter from around the school area. Principals, teachers, students and seven alternative school programs came together to tackle the litter.

With hard work and dedication, the group cleaned up the area.

Beautification Days had a humble beginning and has since blossomed into a huge town-wide project.

According to their website, it all started with the library asking for a track can to put out in front of their building.

“Like flowers begin to grow and bloom each spring, the idea occurred to a group of Thompson Falls residents, that one garbage receptacle could blossom into something more significant – a whole bouquet of programs that work to clean up and beautify the community, which is what is now knows as Thompson Falls Beautification Days,” states the website.

The Thompson Falls Community Development group now heads the event. The idea has continued to grow and encompasses residents with special needs in an effort to keep their yards looking nice.

The event also lets kids get artistic by allowing the kids to have a poster contest in the elementary school.

“It’s at a grass roots level for the children. It’s getting them to think about what they can do in their community to help,” Lundgren said.

After a handful of days, everyone involved was able to ensure that their town sparkled with cleanliness, pride and joy.

The annual event continues to bring the community together, while focusing on the needs of others. The ultimate goal is to have something everyone can be proud of - a community that reflects the support of its residence.

Lundgren was happy with how the event went overall and was pleased with the volunteers that came out to help.

“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” Lundgren said.