Dozens of volunteers show up for Main Street cleanup effort

This year’s “Make Ramona Clean Again” event drew a record number of volunteers.

Peter Bidegain, owner of Reds, Whites & Brews, organized the event, in which volunteers helped to clean up Old Town Ramona in advance of the Merchant’s Trick or Treat on Main Street and other holiday activities.

“We had 74 volunteers,” he said. “We not only cleaned from 5th to 10th Streets, but we finished early.”

The day started at 6:30 a.m., with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts for the volunteers, who also received a free T-shirt for their efforts.

For the two-hour cleanup, volunteers were tasked with cleaning as much of Main Street as they could between 7 and 9 a.m. Helpers showed up with their own supplies, and tackled chores such as street sweeping, trash hauling, window washing and leaf blowing.

From doors to windowsills and empty storefronts, each location was subject to cleaning, scrubbing and tidying by volunteers.

“We ended up with more than 50 bags of ‘muck’ — dirt, weeds and grass — that we hauled away and disposed of,” Bidegain said.

Thirty-six local businesses, such as Ramona Irrigation, Marinade on Main, Ransom Brothers, Main Street Coffee and The Barn Bar and Dining, showed their support for the clean up by donating prizes, ranging from gift cards to merchandise, he said. 

“All About Fun RV donated a three day/three night RV rental, and Anytime Fitness donated a three-month membership, including a trainer,” he said. “This year, more than 80 donations meant every one who helped received something.

“I really can’t thank everyone enough — the volunteers and everyone who helped, as well as the merchants and others who donated gifts.”

The event has been held since 2017 — but the last cleanup was in 2019 with 44 volunteers. The year’s event is the first since the cleanup was cancelled in 2020, the year of the pandemic shutdown. 

The effort has become so popular that Bidegain is considering holding another cleanup event.

“I asked the volunteers how many would do this in the spring. It was unanimous, with everyone there saying they would be willing to do this again,” he said.