“We camp on Mead Island,” Rob DeVaul said. “We hang out together.”

And now they clean up along Hemlock Road together.

The group wanted to help others enjoy the outdoors as they do, and PennDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway program was a good fit.

“I’d seen them along the side of the road and I always wanted to do it,” DeVaul said. “Do my part. Save the planet.”

members of the Warren Hooligans cleanup crew that has adopted 2 miles of Hemlock Road include (from left): Rob DeVaul, Tracy Langworthy, Alicia Corey, Paula DeVaul, Shawn Rodgers, Tracy Langworthy, Rachel Bines, Marty Fuchs, and Tim Tannler.

He was part of a Whirley Drinkworks crew that cleaned up along Chapman Dam Road.

When he saw that the first 2 miles of Hemlock Road, just off of Pennsylvania Avenue, were available, he decided to take a couple more miles off the list.

“I asked my friends if they would help,” he said.

There was no hesitation.

“My friends got right into it,” DeVaul said. “We always get at least 10 people.”

Their first cleanup was in the spring of 2021. They start at the far end of their highway and work toward town. It generally takes three hours.

Ed Dorunda is PennDOT’s AAH coordinator for the county.

“It is free to sign up and PennDOT supplies all of the needed supplies — bags, vests, gloves, etc.,” Dorunda said. “We ask the groups pick up their road at least twice a year.”

Anyone interested in adopting some highway can reach him from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at (814) 723-3500. “I will assist with finding a road to adopt and answer any questions,” he said.

“We currently have 119 groups in Warren county for a total of 279.70 miles adopted,” Dorunda said. That leaves plenty of miles still needing adoption.

As required under the adoption program, the Hooligans are out twice a year.

They recently conducted their third event and they found plenty of new litter along their road.

“Even though we did it twice last year we still got 15 bags, two tires, a recliner, a vacuum, and a construction barrel,” DeVaul said.

They take their responsibility seriously, even retrieving items – like that barrel – that are over the embankment.

“We were all muddy and dirty,” he said. “I got two ticks on my butt and got poison ivy.”

There is no question who is in charge of that stretch of road.

“They put a sign up for you,” DeVaul said. “We call ourselves the Hooligans.”

PennDOT posted a sign that says … “next two miles… Warren Hooligans.”

And DeVaul has no plans to make PennDOT change the sign any time soon.

“We’re here to stay,” he said.

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