Ashley's May Update

Throughout the month of May I made great contacts of fellow river enthusiast. It is great seeing other people in different lines of work, dedicated to the same ideas the River towns have. These connections have led to volunteer opportunities throughout the Upper Mon area. One in particular will be assisting with river clean ups around the West Virginia border. I also attended the Mon River Summit in West Virginia where issues and the success of the Mon were discussed and contacts were made.

Another project that continued from April planning was the 32nd Annual Albert Gallatin Memorial Day Parade that River Towns put together. Throughout the month we organized the best we could, and it all paid off this past weekend, when the parade ran with great success. For the first time any of us have ran a parade, I would say it ran pretty smoothly. We will now have a great deal of information to pass on to the future planners of this parade.

A smaller assignment that we are doing is working on an app for the Mon River. I personally have started a document that has all kinds of recreational opportunities to do in or around the Mon and surrounding area. Everything from boating and hiking to driving tours of General Stores & Mail Pouch Barns, which are all great assets to southwest PA. This information will not only help with this app, but also for general information about our areas and how much there is to do within a short drive. It was actually a fun little project for me because I did not realize how close all these things were, so know we will have to actually go out and 'test this out'.

An ongoing event that we have been helping with since the beginning of May is the Greensboro Farmers Market. This has probably been the best part of my weekends throughout May. Every Saturday, from 8-12, right on the river, we have been volunteering wherever needed. It is a great opportunity to just chat it up with the community members & local farmers. I definitely have been enjoying this event for the simple fact it is bringing this community together even more and it creates a great model for others.