Claytor Lake State Park hosted its first Martin Luther King Service Day on Monday, Jan. 17, 2011.
The park invited local Boy Scouts to participate in the clearing of leaves and debris for the opportunity to earn the American Labor Merit Badge. The goal for the day was to clear as much debris from the roads, campgrounds, bath houses, and trail heads as possible before noon.
Over the past few months, there have been several strong windstormsbringing down numerous tree branches and tons of leaves onto the park. This debris was not only an eye sore; it limited the mobility of park guests.
We had 21 Scouts, parents, and Scout Masters present to help clear the debris. Mary Rhoades, a long time park volunteer, also came out to assist with the work. The volunteers, with the help of three park employees, were able to clear the entire campground road; all campsites and bath houses in campgrounds B, C & D; the trail heads near the campground; and the entire trail connecting the campground to the meeting facility. The volunteers cleared approximatelythree fourthsof a mile of roadway, and nearlyone eighthof a mile of our trail system.
When the clean up was completed, the Scouts joined the park staff for a bagged lunch at the Waters Edge Meeting Facility. After lunch, the Scouts were presented with the American Labor Merit badge workshop. The workshop covered topics such as labor unions, globalization, the history of Labor Day, and the importance that Martin Luther King Jr. played in labor. All the Scouts that were present, completed the requirements and were awarded the merit badge.
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