Teri Vance: Cleanup of local park and a Lucky day

What started as nearly daily walks along the Linear Park Trail near her home, Gillian Mandel has turned into a community project to improve the area.

For her Gold Award project as part of the Girl Scouts, the Carson High School junior has made plans to improve the park and to clean it up.

After securing a bench to be installed along the path, as well as raptor poles, Mandel is organizing a cleanup Sept. 30.

“The whole point of the event is to improve the park,” she said. “By cleaning it up, it improves the park, keeping the Earth clean.”

Mandel raised money for the bench and poles, enough to buy T-shirts and food for volunteers as well. She’s hoping for a solid turnout for the cleanup.

“I’m hoping as many as possible,” she said. “I don’t have an exact number.”

Volunteers should meet 8 a.m. Sept. 30 at Fremont Elementary School, 1511 Firebox Road.

The Gold Award, like the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts, is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn.

Mendel said the experience has taught her the value of becoming involved in and inspiring community involvement.

“It’s always important for people to get involved,” she said. “Sometimes, they just need that motivation. I enjoyed that aspect. I like seeing the community coming together.”

With the improvements in place at her neighborhood trail, she will find a tangible sense of satisfaction.

“You can walk away saying, ‘Look what I did,’” she said.

For questions, call Gillian at (775) 315-2904.

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The community is invited to celebrate Glenn Lucky’s 65th birthday at a bash being organized by the Nevada State Museum.

The party will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Dema Guinn Concourse of the museum, 600 N. Carson St.

The entire community is invited to celebrate with Lucky who can be see almost every day riding his tricycle through Carson City, usually pulling a trailer advertising local business.

In honor of his cycling, which he also uses to bring attention to cerebral palsy, people are being asked to ride their bikes to the party and to remain for a group photo.

Lucky has logged tens of thousands of miles, including a ride across country to Washington, D.C., in 1988 to raise funds for cerebral palsy research and to promote Special Olympics. He donated the tricycle he used to make that ride to the Nevada State Museum in 2016.

Earlier this month, Lucky donated to the museum the Olympic Torch he carried on Carson Street in the lead up to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City along with photos of the occasion.

The birthday celebration will include a brief program, a round of “Happy Birthday,” and a birthday cake and refreshments. Admission to the concourse is free. Regular museum admission applies for access to the museum galleries.

For more information, call 775-687-4810.

Teri Vance is a journalist, freelance writer and native Nevadan. Contact her with column ideas at terivance@rocketmail.com.