the No Frills parking lot to enjoy a free barbecue courtesy of Newalta on Friday, April 24.
Newalta partnered with the Town of Stettler to offer the free barbecue for cleanup volunteers, all who got together throughout the previous week to clean up a winter's worth of discarded garbage.
When the snow melts, a treasure trove of coffee cups, napkins, and other bits and pieces of detritus become more and more apparent after being hidden all winter, and the efforts of volunteers to clean up the community's public areas and parks helps save the town money and frees up time for its staff, according to councillor Karen Sernecky.
It's the second year Newalta has held the barbecue for the clean-up volunteers, something Kevin Plante, the Stettler Newalta branch manager, said. When Sernecky approached him the year before, he “jumped at the chance” to take part, he recalled.
The company, which recycles oil field byproducts and resells them, is all about recycling and keeping the world clean, so the clean-up barbecue falls right in line with its mandate, Plante explained.
He had started the day with about 200 hotdogs on the company's brand new grill – which was on its first outing – and had to leave to get more by midway through the barbecue, as traffic had been consistant despite the cooling of the temperatures.
Tim Hortons supplied coffee and donuts for the event to go along with the hotdogs, and there was also chips and pop.
Five Newalta employees, including Plante, spent the barbecue hours dishing out dogs and drinks.
Earth week was promoted by Sernecky through the poster efforts of the local school. Two winning designs, by Ashley Wingie and Robert Collins, were chosen, Sernecky said.
“The week went fantastic,” she said. “We had way more volunteers register than last year.”
The registration helped ensure no groups went to clean the same area, Sernecky explained.
“It's always a lot of the same people,” she said. “And parks are always a target. But we all worked hard and it's nice and clean.”