By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Area cemetery staff usually remind citizens to remove flowers and decorations from headstones following the Memorial Day holiday. Barton County announced Friday that Saturday, Oct. 21 will be a similar cleanup day for Golden Belt and Hillcrest Memorial Parks and Cemetery. County Works Director Darren Williams said the county is getting some help for the cleanup.
"According to the rules, people are supposed to remove the flowers after 7-10 days after a holiday," he said. "The Evening Lions Club, they do about 20 hours a year of community service. They thought that'd be a good project for them to come pick up the flowers out of the cemeteries."
The Great Bend Evening Lions Club will begin removing damaged and unsightly items, as well as trash and debris, from the grounds that Saturday. County employees will not attempt to find owners of items once they are removed.
"We're just wanting to give the public a heads up they can come out and pick them up if they want to use them for the next holiday," said Williams. "If not, they're going to be disposed of."
All three cemeteries are located on Northwest 50 Road in Barton County. Maintenance is performed by the County Road and Bridge Department.