LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – More than two dozen Pottsgrove School District students, and many adult volunteers, were hard at work Saturday morning (Sept. 27, 2025) on a big clean-up project.
Together they cleared debris, disposed of trash and litter, cleaned and added gravel to some paths, and removed downed trees along trails inside Ringing Rocks Park, 1880 N. Keim St. The tasks were part of this year’s Lower Pottsgrove Township “Empower Your Park” effort.
Empower Your Park is a program of the Pottstown Area Regional Recreation Committee, of which the township is a member. One organizer of Saturday’s work, and among those wielding chain saws for the heavy lumber, was township Commissioner Bill Keohane.
Several other local notables also turned out to lend a hand, including state Rep. Joe Ciresi, school district Superintendent Dr. David Finnerty, and MontCo 30% Project co-founder Mike Hays.
But the largest contingents of volunteers were students from Pottsgrove High School’s Spark the Wave and Environmental clubs, and the Pottsgrove Middle School Honor Society. All arrived in force, accompanied by teachers and faculty advisors. Their many hands helped lighten the load.
The Challenge of Ringing Rocks
Ringing Rocks is one of 12 Lower Pottsgrove parks and dedicated open spaces. It consists of slightly more than 38 acres, and offers three trails with varying degrees of difficulty. The easiest, less than 2/10ths of a mile, is near the park’s primary attraction: its pond.
The most strenuous? That’s an up-and-downhill climb of twice the length, where weather-smoothed boulders pose as minor obstacles. Volunteers spent plenty of time on the rigorous Red Trail, as it is known. In addition to clearing away fallen logs, workers also coated trail markers with fresh paint so they could be more easily spotted.
Nearby Shaner’s Grove – where Ringing Rocks visitors can safely park off the highway – received attention too.
Ciresi and others spent time there reducing a huge pile of gravel, shovel-by-shovelful, to fill wheelbarrows. The stones then were raked over a path that leads from the grove, at 1900 Keim St., into the park. It safely keeps pedestrians from walking on Keim Street itself.
A Way to Help, and Give Back
Programs similar to Empower Your Park operate in other communities and other states. The regional recreation committee notes, however, that the greater Pottstown area has an abundance of local parks and trails. Sooner or later, committee representatives acknowledge, each of the more than 40 properties require the kind of volunteer maintenance that occurred in Lower Pottsgrove.
“Empower Your Park is great way to get outside with your friends, family and neighbors to give back to your local park or trail,” the committee website says. “If you would like to volunteer through the Empower Your Park program,” it adds, let it know using an online form.
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