The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News needs volunteers for its Annual Park Clean-up at 1 p.m. on October 17th. Participants are asked to register in advance and will work in The Mariners’ Museum Park along the James River. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and are also invited to enjoy refreshments and a presentation by Dr. Harold Cones on environmental issues facing the Chesapeake Bay and how to preserve the bay as a natural resource. The Park Clean-Up is sponsored in part by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. For more information or to volunteer, contact Christopher Spraggins at (757) 591-7747.

The 550-acre Mariners’ Museum Park is the nation’s largest privately owned and maintained park open for free to the public. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of the Noland Family, the Noland Trail, a popular walking and running destination, offers scenic views of Lake Maury as it winds through the park and over fourteen wooden foot bridges. The Lion’s Bridge is another Park landmark, noted for its four lion statues created by the artist Anna Hyatt Huntington.