It Doesn’t Just Clean Itself

Last night, Compo Beach was jam-packed. Over 10,000 people crammed every available picnic table, wall and grain of sand to watch the fireworks.

They spent plenty of time eating, drinking and playing too.

When it was over, they left. And left behind literally tons of trash. Food, bottles, shoes, umbrellas, beach chairs, beach toys — the beach was, to use the technical term, a “f—in’ mess.”

By 8 this morning — just a few hours after the last revelers left their “stuff” — the beach was perfect. Pristine. Ready for another day of illegal table-saving:

But it didn’t just happen. Dozens of Parks & Rec employees worked feverishly to get Compo ship-shape. They picked up garbage. They hauled it away. And they groomed the sand.

Stuart McCarthy, Dan DeVito and the entire Parks & Rec Department do a fantastic job all year. The post-fireworks transformation may be their most remarkable feat of all.

The next time you see those guys (and gals), give them a thumb’s-up. Or thank them.

You might even offer them a cold one.

Water, that is. They’re on the job!