By A. Finn Moss|Beacon leaf expert

The town-wide leaf pickup, which begins after local trees have shed their leaves, will begin after local trees have shed their leaves and hopefully conclude before the first snowstorm of the season, an event which would delay the town-wide leaf pickup.

But this year, the town-wide leaf pickup will take on a different color.

Currently, leaves are falling all around. But not all have fallen. When they do, citizens are requested to assemble their leaves into a pile using whatever means necessary and transport said pile to the Bass Lake compost site behind the maintenance barn on Out-On-The-Highway Road, near Old Man Smunson’s place.

According to leaf pickup crew chief Russel Enfall, the changes to the leaf pickup were necessary to prevent leaf pickup crews from having to actually pick-up leaves.

“It’s much easier on our crew members if they don’t have to work,” Enfall said. “Besides, it forces the fine citizens of Bass Lake to get off their couches and actually do something.”

In the past, residents merely piled their leaves on or near the street where crews would collect them and take them to Old Man Smunson’s place.

“That never really worked,” Enfall said. “People missed their deadline, the streets ran thick with fallen leaves and sticks, and we wasted a lot of fuel running our trucks all over Hell’s half acre.”

Mayor Forrest Bunkard approved the change.

“I approved the change,” Bunkard said. “I have nothing further to add.”