During the Town of Colton’s recent Caring for Colton Day, volunteers helped clean up the town’s John Stone Memorial Nature Trail on Pleasant Street and county Route 58. Those doing the trail work included, from left, Stacie Cole, Jennifer Fleury, Kayc Stone, Kirke Perry (kneeling), Callie Richards, Ashley Stone, Morgan Cole, Jordyn Cole, Alyssa Fleury, Noah Rousell, Logan LaShomb, Joslyn Cole, Maura Richards, Deb Richards, Allie LaShomb and Katie LaShomb.

COLTON -- As they do each year, volunteers in the Town of Colton recently helped the Department of Public Works clean up 12 town-owned sites sanctioned by the Town Board for volunteer beautification activities.

On May 23, during the town’s annual Caring for Colton Day, volunteers led work at three sites—Sunday Rock Park and Three Falls Park in the hamlet of South Colton; and the John Stone Memorial Nature Trail in the hamlet of Colton.

The site leaders were assisted by at least twenty-five others including Girl Scout Troop 50105 led by Katie LaShomb with girls in kindergarten to 8th grade. Volunteers for each site continue to help maintain the town’s three parks and nine other public spaces throughout the year.

Each year the spring work helps prepare the town for the busy summer season when the local population swells with the return of seasonal residents, with campers staying in public and private campgrounds and with others visiting the community. It also leads up to the opening of the town’s two information centers in June staffed by volunteers.

The Colton Information Center at Stone Valley is located in the Colton Museum on Main Street across from the Town Hall.

During June it will be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., otherwise by appointment by calling Cyndy Hennessy 262-2524 as President of the Colton Historical Society. In July and August it will be open during the same hours on Saturday and Sunday plus Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Museum overlooks the Stone Valley section of the Raquette River which is a popular destination for a mix of users including hikers who use the trails all seasons of the year and whitewater kayakers who paddle the river.

The second information center in town focuses on the 174-mile long Raquette River from Blue Mountain Lake to Akwesasne. The Raquette River Information Center is located on State Highway 56 in the hamlet of South Colton across from the Post Office. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays in June, otherwise by appointment by calling Scott Muller 244-9956 on the town’s Tourism & Beautification Committee.

In July and August it will be open during the same hours on Saturday and Sunday plus Tuesday and Thursday.

This year the Colton Historical Society and the Tourism & Beautification Committee also are preparing for a garden tour being sponsored by the Potsdam Hospital Guild on June 13. Those wishing to take the self-guided tour of gardens in the Colton-Higley areas of town will need to register at the Potsdam Agway and get a brochure listing gardens on the tour.

The brochure also will encourage people to visit landscaped areas of town along Main Street, the Colton Museum for exhibits and information about things to do in town as well as the historic Colton Hepburn Library which was the first of seven Hepburn libraries in St. Lawrence County.

In recent years the town has reworked landscaped areas along Main Street with the help of Adirondack Growers in Hopkinton. For more information about the garden tour please contact Sue Dougherty 265-2775 with the Potsdam Hospital Guild.

And anyone wishing to help maintain Town of Colton parks and other sites and/or help staff the information centers should contact Ruth McWilliams, the town’s Tourism & Beautification Coordinator 262-2450. Updated information about summer events including the annual series of summer music performances also is available on the town’s website (www.townofcolton.com) under News and is posted on the Town of Colton page on Facebook.