If you're wondering why you haven't heard a peep about this year's Guilford Clean Up Day, it's due to a lack of volunteers, especially a volunteer leader.

Linda VonBlon, who has run the event for the past several years, calls herself a senior citizen and admits the work would have been too much for her this year. Prior to VonBlon's involvement, another resident, Karen Strawson, led the forces for several years, she noted.

VonBlon said there is some work involved to coordinate the event, such as obtaining permits, advertising, calling the local newspaper for a story, working with the selectmen, calling the fire department about the banner, coordinating the dump trucks, and other tasks.

"It is really needed and would be a shame not to go on," she said.

Jonathan Bishop, who ran the event for seven years before Strawson took over, said Guilford Clean Up Day has been around for almost 20 years.

"I had to start a couple months in advance and had good helpers," said Bishop, who noted that the workload decreased each year as it ran "pretty automatically." "All in all it was about a weeks' worth of time. I spent a couple of nights doing mailings and putting up signs."

The event, which usually takes place on a Saturday and Sunday in late April, kicks off at one of the schools, where groups of volunteers come to receive their "assignments," or specific areas in town for which they are in charge of cleaning up. Local companies donate items such as Dumpsters, rubber gloves, garbage bags, and food and beverages for hungry and thirsty workers.

Resident Doug Newman, who has helped coordinate the event for the past three years in conjunction with the Guilford PTA's TurnOff Week, said he can't keep the ball rolling, either, due to a lack of volunteers.

"Everyone is so busy these days, yet in the same breath say, 'It takes a village,'" said Newman. "I wish all the youth sports organizations could take just one day off and encourage families to support this wonderful community event, perhaps in future years. It was shocking to see how each year 100 or so used tires alone are pulled off of Guilford's streets."

VonBlon agreed, saying she'd like to see a special town clean up effort as part of the high school's requirement for civic volunteer work.

Her other suggestion was, if the big day couldn't be held this year, that people organize on a smaller basis, within their own neighborhoods, for example.

"I encourage people on their own to pick up garage when you go for a walk," she said.

VonBlon's biggest pet peeve is discarded cigarette butts, which she says do not disintegrate, but stay around for more than 80 years.

"When I see people litter, I feel that they are losing pride in their town," she said. "Don't be so tuned in to your phone or electronics that you don't notice what is going on around you."