CITY OF BRISTOL WILL HOST A COMMUNITY CLEAN UP DAY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 23
The City of Bristol will be celebrating Earth Day by inviting the community to join them for the second annual Community Clean Up Day on Saturday, April 23, 2022 any time between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm or any time that works for you to clean up your corner of Bristol.
“While one day is being set aside for this community-wide cleanup, I invite the residents of Bristol to continue cleanup efforts in your own neighborhoods throughout the year,” stated Mayor Caggiano. “I am happy to continue this as an annual event here in Bristol.”
The City is inviting groups and individuals to join them to help clean up several areas throughout the City such as:
- Riverside Avenue
- Veterans Memorial Boulevard Park
- The West End Neighborhood
- Along the Railroad Tracks on North Main Street and Main Street
- Forestville Village and Along the Pequabuck River
- And Your Neighborhood!
Clean Up Day supplies will be available for pick up while supplies last on the day of the event from 8 to 10 am at the Parks, Recreation, Youth & Community Services Office, located at 51 High Street. Supplies will include garbage bags, event day t-shirt, instructions, locations of trash pickup areas, and safety guidelines. You are encouraged to provide your own gloves.
Event day t-shirts are being generously funded by COVANTA who will also have employees on hand that day to assist with the cleanup efforts. Gloves are being donated by the City of Bristol’s Emergency Management Department and water bottles are being donated by Shop Rite of Bristol.
In addition the community is invited to visit the Page Park Ski Lodge that day any time between 1 and 4 pm where the Parks, Recreation, Youth & Community Services art instructor will be leading trash can painting and “Recycled Art Stations.” Attendees will have a chance to paint our park’s trash cans, and are welcome to bring clean recycled plastic and/or cardboard that they find during the Community Clean Up Day to transform it into art!
Arts & Culture Commission Completes Fundraising for MLK39 Mural
Mural expected to be revealed in late spring
The City of Bristol Arts & Culture Commission recently announced the completion of fundraising for their upcoming MLK39 Racial Equity Mural project. In just short of two months, the Commission received nine major sponsors ($500+) and dozens of community donations to reach their predetermined goal of $15,000. The project is in partnership with Connecticut’s RiseUP Group, who are on a mission to bring 39 murals inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the state; one to honor each year of King Jr.’s life.
The artist for the project, Micaela Levesque, has been selected, and the initial design is underway. Levesque, a Connecticut-based artist, recently completed a large-scale mural on the Women’s Empowerment Center in Hartford. The enormity and caliber her prior work excited Committee members, and ultimately drew them to select Levesque for this project.
Bristol’s mural will be the 13th mural brought to life, with RiseUP’s Executive Director, Matt Conway, confirming a half dozen more currently underway throughout the state. Sponsorship kicked off with Main Street Community Foundation (MSCF), the project’s largest sponsor, supporting the mural with $5,000. Susan Sadecki, MCSF’s President & CEO shared, “The Arts create vibrant communities and this project will not only enhance the City of Bristol, but celebrate its diversity. We are proud to be able to support this important initiative.”
The public art piece will be located on the Primo Press building at 106 Riverside Avenue, with Levesque’s work set to begin in May.