BERLIN -- Berlin residents are being asked to help support their town for the first ever Take Pride In Berlin Week (TPBW), April 21-28.

Formerly known as Take Pride in Berlin Day, town officials said that the event is being upgraded to an entire week this year to reflect the growing interest of the community.

“The Mayor and Council are very grateful for the growth and support the Take Pride in Berlin initiative continues to receive from citizen volunteers from the greater Berlin area whose actions speak most clearly about the importance of having pride in our community,” Williams said. “I encourage all Berlin residents to take advantage of this special week to clean up private properties while many volunteers and town employees get our public areas ready for another busy summer.”

Last year, 75 volunteers banded together to clean up parks around town, including Stephen Decatur and Henry, as well as spruce up the downtown and clear up the local streams. The event includes food and live music, and volunteers are asked to plant, weed, rake, and mulch parks as well as cleaning up any trash.   

While TPBW will include the same park-clean up, Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen explained that the goal of the week isn’t to structure specific activities so much as it is to encourage a general investment in the town by residents.

Ways to “show pride in Berlin” that Bohlen mentioned include anything that a person can do to improve the look and spirit of the town.

“Can you find a place in your neighborhood for a neighborhood herb garden?” she asked. “A composting station? Maybe the elderly couple down the street needs their porch painted? Are there other ways you can use your time or talents for your community, like reading at a daycare? Volunteering at a soup kitchen? Use your imagination.”

TPBW will end with the first-ever Trail Mix 2012 event at Berlin Intermediate School, which will serve as a fun way for residents to learn about nature, especially the area surrounding town. The event runs from 9:30 a.m.-noon. For more information, contact Lower Shore Land Trust at 410-641-4467.

Overall, Williams is hoping that TPBW will foster the drive to volunteer in the community and to help show residents of Berlin that ultimately, the condition of the town is in their hands.

Sign up for “Clean-up Day,” April 21, will take place at Stephen Decatur and Henry parks at 8:30 a.m. and run until noon. For more information contact Mary Bohlen at 410-641-4314 or visit the Take Pride In Berlin Facebook page.