The Blairstown Enhancement Committee (BEC) partnered with Blair Academy for the annual Blairstown Spring Cleanup on May 20th. Working alongside BEC volunteers, more than 75 Blair students and faculty tackled various projects in the downtown area.
The Pocket Park on East Avenue, one of the Village’s best-kept secrets, was cleaned up and planted with azaleas, lambs’ ears, nepeta and marigolds.
Main Street was fully weeded and swept by one group, while another planted flowers donated by Race Farm around the flagpole at Footbridge Park.
Also at Footbridge, Blair students painted murals on the concrete surfaces of the coal bins.
All the work was completed during one of the hottest days of the month.
Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of The Ridgeview Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridgeview Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
