Friends of the Eastern Promenade's Annual Park-Pickup is Saturday, April 28
Portland, ME, March 24, 2018 - Year after year since 2007, Friends of the Eastern Promenade
(FoEP), a nonprofit community organization, and City of Portland Parks, Recreation and
Facilities Department have partnered to make the clean-up of the Eastern Promenade - Portland's
most historic park overlooking Casco Bay - a success story. The so-called "April Stools Day"
draws hundreds of volunteers to the park every year. This spring's event is scheduled for
Saturday, April 28th, from 9 a.m. to noon.
"The outpouring of support for this project is always amazing," says Lindsay Rowe Scala, FoEP
Board member and event organizer. "People of all ages cherish the Eastern Promenade. It's their
park and they really do want to take care of it."
Surrounding cities and towns have followed Friends of the Eastern Promenade's lead. South
Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Scarborough and other Maine communities also plan springtime
community clean-ups.
190 years ago Portland's city planners recognized the importance of saving green space for
public use. The City's first acquisition of land on the Eastern Promenade was in 1828. It now
spans over 70 acres.
"We are fortunate to be stewards of such an extraordinary public park," says Molly McCarthy,
also a FoEP Board member and event organizer. "There is nothing in the world like the Eastern
Promenade. It's a treasure. Volunteers know that. The environmental integrity of the Eastern
Promenade is in good hands."
For more information about volunteering go to www.easternpromenade.org.
(Rain date is Sunday, April 29th)
Friends of the Eastern Promenade is a nonprofit community organization committed to
preserving the park's significant historic public landscape, protecting its environmental integrity,
and enhancing recreational use.
Contact: Patsy Wiggins, Exec. Dir., Friends of the Eastern Promenade patsy@easternpromenade.org