Volunteers for the annual Red Clay clean-up arrived in great numbers on Saturday morning, apparently oblivious to the gray skies, cold temperatures and hovering rain showers. In fact, many of the young ones showed their exuberance throughout the event.

The Red Clay clean-up has been going on for more than 30 years, always in the early spring.  It is the project of the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance in Pocopson, and it’s a chance for local residents of all ages to join and pick up trash in the waters and on banks of the Red Clay Creek.

“We do it because we just want to keep the waterway clean,” said Eliza Bernardini, the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance’s database and marketing director.

The Red Clay Creek is a 13-mile tributary of White Clay Creek that runs through the greater Kennett Square area into northern Delaware. It has branches in Hockessin, Nixon Park, the Borough of Kennett Square and along various roadways in the region.  

Bernardini said the goal of the clean-up is to attract about 800 volunteers to the effort for that one morning. She said about 500 people – many of them earning high school service credits, others out of conscience and love of the environment – signed up ahead of time this year. When Saturday morning came, many more showed up, pushing the total toward the 800-person goal.

They registered at three places: Anson B. Nixon Park, the Kennett Y pool parking lot and the Ashland Nature Center. There they received big trash bags, T-shirts, reflective vests and protective gloves. They were also assigned to work groups and half-mile pick-up locations.

As far back as old-timers at the event said they could remember, the event has yielded vast amounts of trash that was later placed in Dumpsters and recycled.

“In the more than 30-year history of this effort, volunteers have collected 421 tons of trash from our streams and roadways. For many in the community, this is considered an annual rite of spring,” said Jim Jordan, chair of the Red Clay Clean Up event and Brandywine Red Clay Alliance Executive Director, in a previous statement. 

Most of the material the volunteers picked up are small, trashy items like food containers. There are unusual and memorable throw-aways, too.

Bernardini said this year there was a whole bicycle, a fully inflated basketball, a grocery cart and a storage cabinet. The Boy Scouts of Troop 22 reported finding a 10-foot gutter section and a deteriorating Captain America mask. One participant found and turned in a set of keys.

Earlier in the week, the weather prediction for the clean-up was dire: rain and cold all day. When the volunteers showed up at 8 a.m., however, the weather was just cloudy and threatening—albeit chilly. Barnardini said the rain showers didn’t actually arrive until 10:30 a.m. when all the work was about done, and that was heartening.

“This is a chance to teach the youth how to keep the planet alive,” Bernardini added.

Brandywine Red Clay Alliance works to promote the restoration, conservation, and enjoyment of the natural resources of the Brandywine and Red Clay Watersheds through education, scientific activities, environmental stewardship and advocacy.

The non-profit is a collaboration of the Red Clay Valley and Brandywine Valley associations. The Red Clay Valley Association was founded in 1952.