In cooperation with the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, American Legion Post 37 gathered a few vets together to remove litter along West Highland Avenue on April 27. Despite the windy conditions the crew managed to collect two pickup loads of bagged, and unbagged, unsightly debris totaling 225 pounds.

In October 2023 the post braved chilly weather and collected about 200 pounds of litter along the same route. Chamber Executive Director Val Hoxie pondered the possibility of our exceeding last year’s collection — and we did, and it didn’t take that much extra effort as there was definitely more litter available for the picking.

The participating Legion members want to express their appreciation to the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce for supplying heavy duty garbage bags, gloves, trash grabbers, and especially those flashy orange safety vests. And to the automotive public who looked out for our welfare while driving by, thank you.

Should you and your club want to do something positive for Hermiston, or your city, call your chamber director and set up a date to perform a public service.

Upcoming events

• May 18, 8 a.m., The Conrad Skinner Golf Tournament at the Umatilla Golf Course sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Veterans Alliance.

• May 27, 10 a.m., The annual Veterans Memorial Service, at the Hermiston Cemetery. If you get a chance take a drive through the cemetery and see the Avenue of Flags.

American Legion Post 37 meets the first Monday of every month, 7 p.m. at the Agape House.