ELLOREE, S.C. — This National Gardening Day, 4-H club volunteers from Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties are doing a labor of love in the Town of Elloree, beautifying the town’s plant life and flower beds.

“They were a wreck. They had not been weeded. They had not been maintained in a long time. Covered in weeds,” said volunteer Blake Proffit.

Proffit has been with 4-H for eight years. He says it hasn’t been an easy feat, and they’ve been getting their hands dirty weeding berms and fixing the water lines along the Cleveland Street, the town’s busiest road. 

Proffit was joined by two other volunteers, Emma Anderson and Jake Owens from Elloree and Cameron, who lent a helping hand. He says the lines have been in the ground for twenty five years. They’re also potting thirty coleus and marigold flowers.

“When people ride up and down the road, it makes them happy to see it. They say, “Oh, there’s people that care about the town and how it looks,'” said Proffit.

The Town of Elloree is supporting the group’s efforts by helping to cover the cost of gardening supplies.

“It makes the community happy. People wanna come and see Elloree. It attracts people to the businesses that are trying to thrive.”

The volunteers plan to finish gardening at some point next week.