Some 50 volunteers showed up at Fort McAllister on Saturday to rake, paint and help clean up as part of the annual Civil War Trust Volunteer Day.
The spring cleaning help didn’t go unappreciated.
“It takes so much work off us,” Fort McAllister park manager Danny Brown said. “The fact that the whole fort will get raked and all the Spanish moss gets picked up is a great help. It would usually take us weeks to do, and they (volunteers) get it done in one afternoon.”
The Friends of the Fort helped organize the cleanup day and  Hyacinth Townsend, a member of the friends group, has been visiting Fort McAllister for the past 25 years.
“This is our park, so we have got to help take care of it,” she said. “If we don’t take care of it, it won’t be here for our children and grandchildren, and those that come after us.”
Among the volunteers who helped in the event were Boy Scout Troop 241 out of Bluffton, Civil War re-enactors and members of the Savannah Derby Devils roller derby team. Participants received free a t-shirt and lunch.  
Brown said volunteers are always welcome at McAllister. The next planned cleanup will be “Your State Parks Day” on Sept. 28.  No fees required, lunch will be provided and all ages are welcome.    
For more information on the fort and volunteering opportunities visit http://www.gastateparks.org/FortMcAllister.