December 28, 2019 – West Bend, WI – Reviewing some of the more impactful moments in 2019 surely includes the inaugural effort to clean up the Milwaukee River in West Bend. The effort was organized by Jim Walters. The story is below.
About a dozen volunteers turned out early Saturday morning, Sept. 28, 2019 for the inaugural Clear Up at The Bend.
The event was organized by Jim Walters, a local magnet fishing guy. The big story of the day, aside from the Dumpsters full of metal and trash pulled out of the Milwaukee River in West Bend, featured an emotional reunion between a woman and her lost cell phone.
Deb and Daryl Matthies of West Bend were on a kayak adventure four weeks ago when they ran into a little trouble above the Barton Dam. The couple got snagged in trees, gear flipped out of their kayak including a red insulated bag.
That bag was zipped tight and found by a volunteer at the clean-up. It was pulled out of some brush along the Milwaukee River near the Veterans Drive overpass. The couple were contacted and reunited with their cell phone and bag of snacks. At 1:40 in the video the couple were reunited with their lost bag, cell phone and credit cards.
Volunteers pulled in other interesting items including a railroad tie, metal spikes, a bicycle, train lantern, Orange Crush glass bottle, round saw blade, razor scooter, metal rim from an old car wheel, and lots of other treasures.
Thanks to the City of West Bend for providing the Dumpsters and Jim Walters extends a big “Thanks” to everyone who showed up to help.
Click HERE to keep tabs on Clean Up at The Bend.
