It takes a village to make a park beautiful. That's what the Rotary Club of Mount Joy thinks, so the club invites the public to the Rotary Park Workday and Community Celebration on Saturday, April 10. The event will be held in light rain or sunshine. A rain date is set for Saturday, April 24. The workday will begin at 8 a.m.

"A complimentary breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. while supplies last for those who arrive early," said David Christian, Rotary Club of Mount Joy's Rotary Park chairman. "A complimentary lunch will also be provided while supplies last. The workday will end at 2 p.m., and a pickup softball game is tentatively planned for after the workday is complete."

The park, located at 201 Fairview St., is home to Hotchkiss, Merchandiser, and Don "Pop" Staley fields. Community members use the park for ball games, walks, and picnics. The workday helps to prepare the park for its busy season, Christian noted.

Volunteers may register for the event individually or in groups. "We will be spreading about 55 cubic yards of mulch, cutting nice edges in our planting beds, grooming the baseball field infields and warning track, and much, much more," Christian stated. "If you or your group would like to donate a flat or two of colorful annuals or perennials, feel free to bring them along, and we will find a place for them to go."

If people are interested in helping but cannot attend on April 10, the club will accept monetary donations or will help individuals or groups set up other times to work in the park during the year.

This year's event is particularly important, Christian added, because last year's workday was canceled due to the pandemic. "The Rotary Club of Mount Joy seeks our community's assistance to polish some of the rough edges on the gem that is Rotary Park as we prepare the park for the enjoyment of our community's youth during the upcoming season," he said. Volunteers should bring their own tools, including shovels, rakes, pitchforks, saws, and wheelbarrows. He recommended that participants mark their tools with a pen or colored tape to keep track of them.

"If volunteers wish to participate in a for-fun-only softball game after the workday is finished, they will need to bring their own glove and a bat and ball if they have one," Christian said.

He urged advance registration for the workday, especially if participants plan to eat breakfast or lunch at the event. The registration deadline is Saturday, April 3. To register, email Christian at dave@dcalarch.com or call him in the evenings at 717-653-2622 and include the contact person's name and email address and the number of volunteers attending.

"For those who do RSVP and provide an email address, we will keep you abreast of the details with an email or two before the event," Christian said. "We will assign you a work task group ahead of time, under the direction of a Rotarian work task captain."