After a long, harsh winter, the town of Guilford is ready to shake off the winter blues and prepare the town for warmer weather. A town-wide Green Clean-Up Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 2 with a rain date of Sunday, May 3.

“After this winter, people are so excited to get outside,” said Selectmen Cindy Cartier, who’s also a member of the Rotary Club and the second-year chairman of the event. “I love my beautiful town—plus I’m a clean freak in my house, so it goes hand in hand.”

On May 2, volunteers can head to the Green between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to visit the booth where they’ll be given plastic gloves and garbage bags. Volunteers can choose an area to clean up, or they can be assigned an area.

“There are some areas that need some extra attention, especially after this winter,” said Cartier. “Public Works has been doing great with the cleanup, but soon they’ll be doing the cleanup of the sand, so it will be helpful that there won’t be a lot of debris in there.”

Several groups have already volunteered. The Boy Scouts will focus on the commuter lots, and a local youth group will work on Jacobs Beach and Chittenden Park. Other groups that have committed to volunteer include Interfaith Ministry, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, and several local businesses.

“This event really brings together a different realm of people, and everybody takes pride in their community,” said Cartier. “A trashy community doesn’t speak well for anybody.”

If residents are looking for a bit of a challenge while volunteering, they can work on the Land Trust property. Branford resident Duncan Markovich, who has several Guilford ties, volunteered last year to help in that area. Bull Bags will be provided, and the team that collects the most trash will win a prize.

Sponsors include Waste Tech, Royal Printing, Bishop’s Orchards, The Safety Zone, Page’s Hardware & Appliances, the Town of Guilford, Big Y, Thimble Island Brewing Company, Supercalligraphics, BullBags, Zane’s Cycles, Campania, Home, United Climbing, City Climb, Eve’s, Trailblazer, Ashley’s Ice Cream, Ballou’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, and TD Bank.

Cartier is hoping to exceed last year’s 300 volunteers.

“In Guilford people take pride in their homes and their community—events like this help build the pride and love we have for our town,” said Cartier. “It keeps people’s attention focused on cleaning up and caring for our community at large. It not only does the job of cleaning up, but brings people together.”

For more information, or to RSVP for the event, contact Cartier at cynthia.cartier@comcast.net.