The day began with a vigorous search along Beaver Crick (Creek for those from the east coast) for debris that stretched from New Hartford through Sinclair to Parkersburg.   The woods were thick and were filled with bloodthirsty mosquitoes.  A lot of bug spray and sunscreen were among the vital necessities.  A washing machine, oil barrels, tires, tin siding from houses, styrofoam, sheets of metal, clothing, and much more were wrapped around trees, buried in the dirt, and washed up by the water. 
 
 After a few hours, we split two groups.  The first group went to highway 57 to clean a 6 mile stretch along the rail roads in anticipation of the governor visiting Butler County.  By the end of the cleanup, orange bags and scrap metal lined the highway.  The second group went to the Oak Hill Cemetery and cleaned up all the ditches along Cory Road, a mile stretch.  A New Hartford resident stopped along the side of the street to talk to us while we were cleaning to thank us for what we were doing.  She was so appreciative because after the tornado, she cleaned up all the trash out of the ditches but before it could be picked up, the floods came and spread it all out again.  She kept thanking us from “the bottom of her heart” because she tried so many times to clean up and was never successful because of all the disasters.  It really made everything we were doing worth it, no matter how hot or how tired we were, we were really making a difference.

Debris found in the trenches, left along the road for pickup.	Group picture on some fallen trees.

 For dinner, we headed over to the New Hartford Lions Club where we were treated with the utmost kindness and hospitality as we chowed down on our delicious Iowan meal.  The fire chief of the town said a few words on what the immediate actions and plans were after the tornado hit to help people and find people shelter.  He also talked about how all the volunteer fire fighters put their lives on the line to make sure everyone else in the town was safe and cared for before themselves and how it really showed the sense of pride and community of Iowa.

Our group outside of the New Hartford Lions Club.	Warming up around a bonfire after swimming in Carolyn's chilly pond. It was a beautiful night with a great opportunity to see shooting stars.

 After dinner we all headed over to Carolyn Hanson’s house for a dip in her pond.  The water was freezing, yet refreshing and was really a great way to wind down after a long day of hard work.  The campfire completed the night as we all gathered around to share past time stories and a few scary ghost stories as well.  Being out in that field by the pond at night with nothing really around opened our eyes to the true beauty of Iowa.