VIEWFINDER: Bonney Lake Residents Dig In, Fan Out and Spruce Up City

Bonney Lake was awash Saturday with hundreds of volunteers who spent the morning shoveling, raking, sweeping, toting and disposing to make the community sparkle.

The annual Beautify Bonney Lake event drew nearly 500 participants of all ages who who spread out to 22 predetermined clean-up sites throughout town, including city buildings, parks, schools and monuments.

Mayor Neil Johnson characterized the event as a "partnership" between the city, businesses, schools, churches, community service organizations and the Chamber of Commerce.

"Today, Beautify Bonney Lake is a community event ... to build a strong community," he said.  "You can see from the strong community outpouring that people care about the city of Bonney Lake."

Resident Andrew Lear, who originally brought the idea to the city, said it is gratifying to see participation grow each year. Clean-up day started with about 200 volunteers in 2004 and now attracts close to 500 from across Bonney Lake.

Patch was on hand, too, to capture the hard work and community pride in photographs. Join us for a peek.