TIME FOR A CLEANING

The third annual Oakhurst Facelift is set for Saturday, Oct. 24 with participants gathering at the Oakhurst Visitor Center (40343 Highway 41) beginning at 8 a.m.

Modeled after the annual Yosemite National Park Facelift of 20-plus years, the Oakhurst Facelift is a volunteer-led cleanup event organized by the Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) and Visit Yosemite Madera County (VYMC) to bring the community together to tidy things up.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Brooke Smith of Visit Yosemite Madera County. “We have great raffles and giveaways and it’s been growing every year.”

The cleanup event runs from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at 1 p.m. there’s a gear giveaway.

Organizers said parking will be adjacent to the Visitor Center. The day will begin on a sweet note with coffee and pastries provided by Bee’s Bakery Café during registration.

Each person will receive a canvas bag, plastic bag, gloves, safety vest and litter picker. Once waivers are signed and ground rules are covered, volunteers will be directed down and away from Highway 41 toward the Oakhurst River Parkway.

The inaugural Oakhurst Facelift in 2024 focused on the Oakhurst Community Park and the second in 2025 concentrated on the area around Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park.

Over the course of just two Facelifts in Oakhurst, volunteers picked up and properly disposed of more than a ton of trash — some 2,580 pounds. Not to mention at least 18 shopping carts.

It takes a village to keep a village clean.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to come out and sign up on the morning of the event. Some groups are already regulars but there’s always room for more.

“Every year we’re so appreciative of support from Rotary Club of Oakhurst Sierra — they show up as a team and they are instrumental.”

Smith said Emadco Disposal sponsors all the trash removal at the end of the day, providing receptacles and recycling at no charge for the event.

“Ashley Smith (no relation) has participated in the cleanup the last two years and he’s been a huge part of things.”

At least two school groups plan to be involved in the Oakhurst Facelift this year.

“Yosemite Eco Club at the high school has been part of Facelift since the beginning and will be here again and a group from Mountain Home School reached out to us two months ago asking to be involved.”

And the fun doesn’t stop at noon when the cleanup ends.

“There’s an after-party with live music at South Gate Brewing Co. in Oakhurst,” Smith said.

Kai Asmund and Logan Casey will perform.

In addition to Bee’s Bakery Café and Emadco Disposal, sponsors include Bigfoot Bakery & Grill, Rotary Club of Oakhurst Sierra and Visit Yosemite Madera County.

“But none of this would be possible without the Yosemite Climbing Association, Ken Yager, Katie Getz and Hannah Fleetwood,” she said.

Founded by Ken Yager in 2004, Facelift is a registered trademark of the Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) and an annual event dedicated to the stewardship of Yosemite National Park.

Over the years, according to YCA, tens of thousands of volunteers have removed over 1.2 million pounds of trash and debris from Yosemite and other public land areas, as well as undertaken hundreds of special resource and high angle cleanup projects.

The group conducts similar events in Mariposa and Groveland.

For more information, visit www.yosemiteclimbing.org/eventsfacelift