Kiwanis ponders manure question after parade

By JASON TIDD

Staff writer

Kiwanis Club members noted one problem with Saturday’s Old Settlers’ Day: no one cleaned up the horse manure after the parade.

The 19 club members present discussed the successes of this year’s festivities and how to improve them to make next year even better at their meeting Tuesday.

Casey Case, who announces the parade, said no volunteers came forward to clean the streets after the horses, since the chamber of commerce organized cleanup before it disbanded.

Instead, the horse manure was left in a few piles along Main St. for car tires and nature to take care of.

The Kiwanis Club sponsors Old Settlers’ Day.

“Surely, if this is our deal, I know the chamber’s not here, but we can’t say this is all our deal except for the horse poop cleanup,” Marion Mayor Todd Heitschmidt said. “Maybe we need a committee for that, but if we decide not, I will see if we can’t get our street sweeper afterwards, but please don’t think this group can leave it and say it’s not ours.”

Several members suggested the manure should be the responsibility of the horses’ owners.

“The street sweeper would be a good idea because there was a lot more than just horse crap, like tootsie rolls,” Case said.”