YOUNGSTOWN

A hardy group of about 30 volunteers braved the rain and poison ivy today to continue an effort to reclaim Lincoln Park from the dumping ground for tires, garbage and debris of all kinds it had become and return it to the natural gem it once was.

The crew of volunteers that worked from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. was headed by Diana Hancharenko, young adult minister at St. Angela Merici Parish at 397 S. Jackson St., off which the four-block-long Lincoln Park Drive runs.

“Our goal is to open it up to pedestrian traffic, to restore green space in the city, and make it safe and beautiful,” said Hancharenko, who noted that Lincoln Park Drive has been closed to vehicle traffic for several years.

St. Angela’s parish community has been leading the charge to clean up Lincoln Park, especially along Lincoln Park Drive, to help restore usable green and park space on the city’s East Side, said Dawn Turnage, director of Youngstown Parks and Recreation Department.

Read more about the event in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.