A local tradition, the 43rd Page Attacks Trash was held on April 20, 2024. Volunteers representing several local organizations and members of the public made the event a success.
From left to right:
Tracy Salmi prepares to toss a bag of trash in one of six dumpsters in the area. Photo by Phil Clark.
Mayor Bill Diak brings some trash to the dumpster. Photo by Jeanita Tsosie.
Volunteers check in at the Page Town House in John C. Memorial Park. Photo by Phil Clark.
Locals and visitors arrived at the Page Townhouse at John C. Page Memorial Park between 8 a.m. - 12 p.m., and after signing up, each person received a large trash bag, a map of the area and a Bingo card. A total of six drop off locations, with a dumpster, were located around the area, including at the community of LeChe’e. Three hundred fifty-two volunteers combed the areas around the desert, roads and streets and filled 341 bags. Additional volunteers worked in the community of LeChe’e.
To make things more fun, there was “Trash Bingo” where participants could mark off items that they found in the field. One of the squares was ‘money.’ According to one of the volunteers, in a previous event, someone found a small wad of paper that turned out to be a couple of bills of legal tender, folded very tightly.
A tradition since 1981, Page Attacks Trash has organized a clean-up day ever since. This year marks the 43th time the event has taken place, almost annually. In 2020 there was no event and in 2021 there was an April and an October event. This year sixteen volunteers representing a total of eleven organizations, including Canyon Club, City of Page, Coconino Community College, Glen Canyon Conservancy and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area worked together to carry out the event.
Each volunteer received a free medium blue t-shirt with a design picked from an art contest. Students from Page Public Schools submitted a total of 74 colored images for consideration. First place went to Arianna Tsosie, whose design was placed on the back of the t-shirt. Second place went to Haylee Jasmine Herder. Third Place went to Shandin Riggs-Gomez. Honorable Mentions went to: Keyzlyn Kith Guanco, Carter T. Martin and Keira Kee. Winners of the contest received various denomination gift cards.
In spring 1981, Page Attacks Trash began as a one-day community wide clean-up effort with 1,200 volunteers. By 1986, more than 5,000 worked together. That year, Page Attacks Trash received a first place award “Take Pride in Arizona” campaign founded by the U.S. Secretary of Interior. In 1987, the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors praised the clean-up program in a national report to the President of the United States.
At noon, volunteers were treated to a lunch of pulled pork, beans, potato salad and cookies. The Elks Lodge served lunch to 410 participants, compliments of Courtyard by Mariott, Zenni Home, LeChe’e Chapter, Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon Tours and Nackard Pepsi.
Once everyone finished picking up trash and went on to different activities, it seemed fair to say that everyone was glad to have made a difference and had a fun time. According to Kay Leeum of the Community College and the Canyon Club: “Another great day! Page Attacks Trash is all about people coming together to make Page beautiful! So glad we can help carry on an important tradition for the 43rd time!”
For more information about the annual event, or to be a sponsor or supporter, contact Kay Leum at 928-645-6688 or Judy Franz at 928-645-2741 or visit events.cityofpage.org/ page-attacks-trash-2/.
